Branson EMT and Joplin Couple Indicted for Child Sex Exploitation

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a chilling revelation that’s sent shockwaves through the Ozarks, a Branson emergency medical technician and a Joplin couple have been indicted on federal charges of child sexual exploitation.

Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, emphasized the Department of Justice’s commitment to safeguarding children, noting that exploiting and abusing minors to produce pornography is a severe offense with a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years without parole.

USA v. Dickerson

Nicholas James Dickerson, 30, of Branson, Mo., an employee of the Western Taney County Fire Protection District and volunteer firefighter, faces allegations of using a minor to produce child pornography in February 2015. The incident was uncovered when a Nixa, Mo., business employee noticed suspicious activity on Dickerson’s iPhone, leading to the discovery of explicit images.

Dickerson confessed to sexually abusing the nine-year-old victim and producing multiple pornographic images, according to an affidavit. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller and investigated by the FBI.

USA v. Britten

In a separate but equally disturbing case, Ernest Britten, 36, and his ex-wife Kendra Britten, 33, of Joplin and Miami, Okla., are accused of producing child pornography from 2005 to 2012 and receiving child pornography online between 2010 and 2011. Both face federal charges in connection with these heinous acts.

USA v. Peterson

Michael Douglas Peterson, 32, of Morristown, Tenn., was charged for using a minor victim to produce child pornography from 2014 to 2015 and using his cell phone to entice the minor into illicit sexual behavior. Despite a state arrest warrant being issued for Peterson, he remains at large.