A Sedalia man has been arrested and charged with felonies relating to child pornography.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, investigators received a tip from an online platform indicating a user had uploaded and shared a digital file suspected of being child pornography at a residence in Knob Noster, in March 2023. Investigators ultimately identified this person as Frank Jenkins, of Sedalia.

Investigators contacted and interviewed Jenkins, where he allegedly admitted to possessing and distributing child pornography using his cellular telephone. Jenkins also admitted to deleting some of these digital files when he was notified that law enforcement were wanting to speak with him. During a consent search of Jenkin’s cellular telephone, investigators located digital files of child pornography. Jenkins was arrested and transported to the Johnson County Jail where he was held pending the filing of formal charges.

The investigation was conducted by the Division of Drug and Crime Control’s Digital Forensics Investigations Unit, the State Technical Assistance Team, Sedalia Police Department, and the Office of Special Investigations at Whiteman Air Force Base.

Jenkins was charged with three counts of possession of child pornography, one count of promoting child pornography, and one count of tampering with physical evidence. Jenkins is currently being held in the Johnson County Jail, on a $50,000 cash only bond.