Heather McDorman, 30, of Barnhart has pleaded guilty to seven counts of production and attempted production of child pornography/sexual exploitation of a child, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
McDorman pleaded guilty today (May 30), and her sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 30 in front of U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel. Prosecutors and defense lawyers have recommended 25 years in prison for McDorman, according to the plea agreement.
Between Feb. 1, 2018, and March 12, 2018, McDorman reportedly took or attempted to take pornographic photographs of children in restrooms at area malls and stores, in park bathrooms and in a church bathroom. She said she took the photos at the direction of her boyfriend and co-defendant Zachary Hamby, 29, of Florissant, according to court documents.
Hamby has been charged in the case, but no court date has been scheduled for him, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Terri Dougherty said today.
Police were able to identify an 11-year-old girl and an 8-year-old girl McDorman reportedly took pictures of using the bathroom. Police also identified a 4-year-old boy McDorman allegedly abused, photographed and video recorded, the report said.
On March 12, 2018, McDorman was arrested at the South County Mall, 100 South County Center Way, in south St. Louis County, after reportedly taking pictures of the 11-year-old girl in a bathroom there. The child reported the incident to a St. Louis County Police Officer, the plea agreement said.
When McDorman was arrested, St. Louis County Police reportedly found her with a fake police badge. McDorman allegedly told police she was taking the pictures for her boyfriend, who she claimed was an undercover child abuse detective. She said she took the pictures to assist him in his investigation, according to the agreement.
Police reportedly found photos on McDorman’s cell phone of girls using public bathrooms, and McDorman’s face allegedly was visible in some of them because of the high angle of the selfie-stick over the bathroom stall. There also allegedly were pictures of Hamby on the cell phone, the report said.
Authorities were familiar with Hamby because of a previous investigation out of Oklahoma City, and police located him on March 12, 2018, at his home in Florissant and arrested him. At that time, he reportedly informed authorities that he told McDorman he was an undercover cop as part of a “role-playing” game, and McDorman bought fake badges for them, according to the report.
Hamby also reportedly admitted that it was his idea to take the photos in bathroom stalls and was surprised when McDorman agreed to do it. Police said they found several pictures on Hamby’s cell phone of children in public bathrooms and “sample” pictures Hamby reportedly sent McDorman to show her what type of pictures he wanted her to capture, the report said.
Hamby reportedly told police McDorman sent him at least seven pictures of children using pubic bathrooms. He also allegedly admitted to telling McDorman to carry a fake police badge while she took the pictures, the agreement said.
Hamby allegedly said McDorman abused a 4-year-old boy and, at times, live streamed the abuse using FaceTime video so he could watch. On March 15, 2018, McDorman reportedly told police she knew Hamby was not a police officer but took pictures and produced videos of the children to stay with him, according to the report.
Hamby has been charged with one count of invasion of privacy, a class E felony, and two counts of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy, each one an unclassified felony Invasion of privacy is punishable by a maximum of four years in prison, and the statutory sodomy charges each carries a penalty of 10 years to life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lang is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The case was investigated by St. Louis County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.