Former School Bus Driver Admits Recording Sexual Abuse of Minors

ST. LOUIS - A former school bus driver on Wednesday admitted recording his sexual abuse of two young children.

Robert W. Stillwell, 67, of St. Peters, Missouri, pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography. Stillwell admitted filming his sexual abuse of one girl, born in 2016, and another, born in 2022. Stillwell abused the victims while they were both asleep and awake, and coerced the older girl into complying with his demands by promising toys and money as well as threatening her. She said Stillwell would become angry and scream when she did not cooperate with his requests. He also modified his voice to resemble that of two elementary school-aged girls and recorded messages to the older victim in which the "girls" encourage her to comply with his demands.

The parents of the older victim contacted the St. Peters Police Department in December 2023 after their daughter said Stillwell was drinking her urine, claiming it was medicine for him. Investigators then found recordings of his abuse of the victims.

Stillwell is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22. The government will recommend a sentence of 30 years in prison.

The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force and the St. Peters Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.