Former youth director at Fort Leonard Wood pleads guilty to child sexual abuse
A 42-year-old Waynesville, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court in Springfield to sexually abusing four children while he was director of youth ministry at Fort Leonard Wood, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
David J. McKay, a soldier in the Army National Guard, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of transporting a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and four counts of sexually abusing a minor, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
At the time the crimes were committed, McKay was the youth ministry director for the Religious Services Office at Army military base. All of the victims met McKay through the youth group, according to the plea agreement. McKay admitted that he sexually abused four victims on dozens of occasions between 2010 and 2017.
McKay is a first sergeant in the Army National Guard’s 135th Army Band Unit in Springfield, according to U.S. Attorney’s office.
In his plea, McKay admitted that the sexual abuse occurred at the military base and other locations in Pulaski County, Missouri, as well as during the youth group’s ski trips to Colorado and on camping trips at Fort Leonard Wood.
McKay faces between 10 years and life in federal prison without parole. A sentencing date has not been set.
The case was brought as part of the Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploration and abuse. For information about internet safety, go to www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “Resources” tab.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 4:01 PM.
