Former Missouri State Trooper Sentenced to 21 Months in Prison for Searching Women’s Phones for Nude Images

CAPE GIRARDEAU - U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday sentenced a former Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper to 21 months in prison for searching women's cell phones for nude images during traffic stops.

David McKnight, 40, unlawfully searched the cell phones of nine women without a warrant or probable cause from Sept. 12, 2023, to July 30, 2024, to find nude images of the victims or their loved ones. He was on duty, in uniform and in a marked Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) vehicle at the time. He used his own cell phone to take photographs of images he found in the phones of seven victims. In all but one of the cases, McKnight took the victims' phones back to his vehicle, falsely claiming that he needed to confirm their identification, insurance coverage or other information. In the remaining case, McKnight searched the phone of a woman that he arrested.

After two victims became suspicious of his actions, they reported him to the MSHP. Forensic analysis revealed that McKnight had searched through their phones, including folders that contained nude photographs of them. Subsequent investigation revealed the other victims. McKnight had deleted the photos, but they were recovered from his phone.

McKnight's "conduct in this case was inexcusable and demands a sentence of incarceration," Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug wrote in a sentencing memo.

McKnight pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau in December to nine counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, namely the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Krug prosecuted the case.