Officer secretly recorded sex acts with 15-year-old from Illinois group home, feds say

A “longtime Missouri juvenile officer” has been sentenced to prison after authorities said he engaged in sex acts with a 15-year-old girl who was living in an Illinois group home, according to federal authorities.

Scott F. Burow, 63, pleaded guilty in October to transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in prohibited sexual conduct, McClatchy News reported. His defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on June 14.

In his signed plea agreement, Burow admitted he met the teen through an online dating website intended for adults. The teen lived in a group home that supports “children struggling with issues related to attachment and developmental trauma.”

Burow then demanded that she send him a nude photo of her breasts and face to prove she wasn’t undercover, authorities said. He told her “cops wont send nude shots,” according to court records.

“I need security that I ain’t going to be in jail tonight,” he said in a message obtained by federal authorities.

Burow agreed to pay the girl $100 if she engaged in sex acts with him, officials said.

After receiving the girl’s nude photo, authorities said Burow picked her up from a park near the children’s home in Quincy, Illinois, on April 2, 2020. He then drove her to his home in Hannibal, about 20 miles south, officials said.

Burow secretly recorded the sexual activity, officials said, and he did not use any form of protection.

Authorities said he dropped the girl off at a motel in Palmyra, Missouri, about 15 miles from Quincy, with “no means of communication and only the clothes she was wearing.”

The girl flagged down a Palmyra police officer for help at a nearby gas station, according to court records.

Burow has been sentenced to seven years in prison, officials said. He’s also ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to the girl and $5,000 to a fund for victims of child pornography and child trafficking.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

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