Repeat offender from Wappapello sentenced for violating sex offender terms

Thomas O. Stroud Jr., 43, of Wappapello has been sentenced to 130 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.

According to an Office of the United States Attorney Eastern District Court of Missouri news release, Stroud, who previously served time for a similar offense, appeared before United States District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the federal courthouse, 555 Independence St., in Cape Girardeau. Stroud's legal troubles began in 2009 when he was convicted of possessing images containing child pornography.

After his release, he was required to register as a sex offender and was placed on a 40-year term of supervised release. The release states that in March 2024, Stroud violated the terms of his release by using a cellphone to communicate with an individual in Indiana, from whom he obtained several illicit images.

The United States Probation Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Koester.

During his guilty plea hearing in November, Stroud admitted to using a cellphone to obtain the images. The document states that he will again be placed on supervised release following his 130-month sentence.