Judge Denies Bond Reduction for Former Farmington Teacher Facing Child Pornography Charges

Ste. Genevieve Co., Mo. (KFMO) - A bond reduction request from Erika Morton, a former Farmington R-7 kindergarten teacher charged with 10 felonies related to child sexual abuse material, was denied Friday during a court hearing.

Morton had asked the court to reduce her $1 million cash-only bond to a $100,000 surety bond with court-approved conditions. The judge rejected that request.

The case is now set for a Bond Appearance Hearing on July 16, 2025, at 1 p.m.

The 36-year-old is charged with five counts of promoting child sexual abuse material and five counts of possessing child sexual abuse material. Investigators with the Missouri State Highway Patrol say Morton uploaded five child sexual abuse material videos between January and February during explicit conversations on the Kik messaging app, referencing the ages of the children involved and allegedly acknowledging they were underage.

She was arrested earlier this week and is being prosecuted in Ste. Genevieve County, where authorities say the videos were uploaded from her home.

Morton had been a teacher at Truman Learning Center in the Farmington R-7 School District for 10 years. She is no longer employed by the district.