A retired Fulton, Missouri police sergeant pleaded guilty in federal court to producing and possessing child sexual abuse material, admitting he photographed his own abuse of two minor children and kept more than 150 files of child sexual abuse material on his devices. Jimmy Joe Culbertson, 68, now faces up to 70 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole.
Culbertson pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child pornography and one count of possessing child pornography, according to the United States Department of Justice, Western District of Missouri. As reported by KOMU 8, Culbertson admitted to photographing his abuse of two minor children and to possessing the trove of files found on his devices.
Investigators also determined that Culbertson had installed software intended to hide his online activities and permanently delete digital evidence, the station's report states. The case was first investigated by the Boone County Sheriff's Office before moving into federal jurisdiction.
A Separate State Case Still Pending
Culbertson has been held in Boone County Jail since 2024 on eight counts of statutory sodomy involving a person younger than 12, per the same account from KOMU 8. That state case remains separate from the federal charges to which he has now pleaded guilty.
The retired sergeant's federal prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Turner, according to the station's report. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled only after the United States Probation Office completes a presentence investigation, the same report notes.
Background on the Former Officer
Culbertson previously served as a Fulton police officer and retired as a Fulton police sergeant, as Columbia Missourian reported. The federal guilty pleas mark the latest development in a case that began at the local level before escalating to a 70-year maximum federal exposure.
The Maryville Forum also covered the guilty pleas, noting the same federal charges and the pending state statutory sodomy counts. No sentencing date has been set, and the outcome of the separate state case has not been reported.
