Missouri dad finds child porn on son’s phone, turns him in to teach lesson, police say

A 17-year-old is in jail under a $10,000 cash bond after his dad turned him in to police for images he found on the teen’s cell phone, police say.

Andrew Spensberger of O’Fallon, Mo., has a hearing Wednesday in St. Charles County Circuit Court on one count of possession of child pornography.

Paul Spensberger found two photos of a naked 2-year-old girl on his son’s phone, he said. The close-up pictures were taken as the toddler, a relative of the dad’s girlfriend, lay sleeping on the floor.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the teen allegedly admitted taking the pictures and told his dad that he hoped to sell them to a classmate he suspected of being a pedophile. The teen was desperate for money to pay debts and hoped he could get $350 for the images.

“I was disgusted,” Paul Spensberger told The Daily Mail of his reaction to the images. He had confiscated the phone for other misbehavior, including theft.

The dad, who owns a construction company, refuses to pay his son’s bail.

“He feels like s**t,” the dad said. “He feels remorse, and he is scared, he’s facing time in prison. I could go and get him, but he needs to learn.”

Online commentary is heavily supportive of the dad’s action.

“Proud of that parent for reporting his son,” one woman wrote.

“How to destroy your life in 3 easy steps,” a man posted.

This story was originally published January 9, 2018 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Missouri dad finds child porn on son’s phone, turns him in to teach lesson, police say."