CHICAGO, IL - A well-established veterinarian and dog show judge, known by many, has been arrested for knowingly distributing child pornography. On Friday, March 22, after a several months-long investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), 39-year-old Adam Stafford King was taken into custody at his home in west suburban Elburn.
According to court documents, FBI agents discovered King through Telegram, an online messaging service. It was through that messaging system that King allegedly sent several images and videos depicting child pornography to another user. The criminal complaint states that in late 2023 and into the beginning of 2024, the FBI used an account to commuicate with King, who revealed that he had "previously abused his nieces and nephews" and claimed that he had a "large digital cache of child pornography stored on Telegram."
On March 5, the FBI conducted a raid on King's residence and although he refused to be interviewed at the time, he did offer access to his cell phone. On there, some of the images that had been sent through the chat were found. On Tuesday, March 26, four days after the arrest, a judge ruled that King would not be afforded bail, citing that he is a "serious danger to children."
CBS News reported that while in court, prosecutors described the charges being brought against King as heinous and abhorrent. Among the many disturbing statements King made in the chat was King admitting to drugging his niece and nephew with Benadryl to sexually assault them. The criminal complaint states that he wrote, "It generally takes 30-45 min[utes], and I usually double an adult dose."
Even more disturbing, according to the judge, was when King discussed his plans to adopt a baby via surrogate with his husband and stating that he was going to sexually assault the child after it was born. He then sent over a photo of an outfit he bought for the baby. During the search of his home, agents found a baby outfit and ultrasound image that matched the images King sent over via Telegram.
King's parents, husband and in-laws attended the hearing. His parents reportedly told the judge that they would "act as third-party custodians" and would "do everything in their power" to follow the court's orders if a pre-trial release was granted, including denying King from any internet access and any communication with minors.
King's husband, Lucas King, testified that he had already moved out of the couple's home and was living with his parents where they were prepared to take in the baby, who is expected to be born via surrogate in the coming days. According to prosecutors, if the arrest did not happen when it did, King and his husband would have been in California for the birth.
While under oath, King's parents, husband and in-laws all stated that they were "completely in the dark" about the inappropriate and disturbing behavior of King. They said they were "shocked and were still trying to make sense of it all."
FOX 32 reported that according to the FBI, King is a staff ophthalmologist at MedVet Chicago and the Ophthalmology Department Lead for MedVet nationally. In addition to working as an animal eye care specialist, he is also a dog breeder and a dog show judge who travels to shows around the country.
In October 2023, the FBI arrested a suspect in New York City who had been communicating with King through encrypted messages on Telegram. Prior to that, on September 11, 2023, King allegedly texted the suspect from New York saying that he "preferred children in the single digits."
Agents conducted forensics on King's cell phone and the records and IP addresses obtained showed King sending explicit messages from various hotels across the country that took place close to dog shows or dog events in states like Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.
During the hearing on Tuesday, March 22, King's attorneys asked the judge to release him on location monitoring saying that he would not have access to the internet or bet around minors. The judge denied that motion, saying that King posed a threat to the community, citing her concerns of King's specific references to abusing his unborn child.
According to court documents, FBI agents discovered King through Telegram, an online messaging service. It was through that messaging system that King allegedly sent several images and videos depicting child pornography to another user. The criminal complaint states that in late 2023 and into the beginning of 2024, the FBI used an account to commuicate with King, who revealed that he had "previously abused his nieces and nephews" and claimed that he had a "large digital cache of child pornography stored on Telegram."
On March 5, the FBI conducted a raid on King's residence and although he refused to be interviewed at the time, he did offer access to his cell phone. On there, some of the images that had been sent through the chat were found. On Tuesday, March 26, four days after the arrest, a judge ruled that King would not be afforded bail, citing that he is a "serious danger to children."
CBS News reported that while in court, prosecutors described the charges being brought against King as heinous and abhorrent. Among the many disturbing statements King made in the chat was King admitting to drugging his niece and nephew with Benadryl to sexually assault them. The criminal complaint states that he wrote, "It generally takes 30-45 min[utes], and I usually double an adult dose."
Even more disturbing, according to the judge, was when King discussed his plans to adopt a baby via surrogate with his husband and stating that he was going to sexually assault the child after it was born. He then sent over a photo of an outfit he bought for the baby. During the search of his home, agents found a baby outfit and ultrasound image that matched the images King sent over via Telegram.
King's parents, husband and in-laws attended the hearing. His parents reportedly told the judge that they would "act as third-party custodians" and would "do everything in their power" to follow the court's orders if a pre-trial release was granted, including denying King from any internet access and any communication with minors.
King's husband, Lucas King, testified that he had already moved out of the couple's home and was living with his parents where they were prepared to take in the baby, who is expected to be born via surrogate in the coming days. According to prosecutors, if the arrest did not happen when it did, King and his husband would have been in California for the birth.
While under oath, King's parents, husband and in-laws all stated that they were "completely in the dark" about the inappropriate and disturbing behavior of King. They said they were "shocked and were still trying to make sense of it all."
FOX 32 reported that according to the FBI, King is a staff ophthalmologist at MedVet Chicago and the Ophthalmology Department Lead for MedVet nationally. In addition to working as an animal eye care specialist, he is also a dog breeder and a dog show judge who travels to shows around the country.
In October 2023, the FBI arrested a suspect in New York City who had been communicating with King through encrypted messages on Telegram. Prior to that, on September 11, 2023, King allegedly texted the suspect from New York saying that he "preferred children in the single digits."
Agents conducted forensics on King's cell phone and the records and IP addresses obtained showed King sending explicit messages from various hotels across the country that took place close to dog shows or dog events in states like Florida, New York and Pennsylvania.
During the hearing on Tuesday, March 22, King's attorneys asked the judge to release him on location monitoring saying that he would not have access to the internet or bet around minors. The judge denied that motion, saying that King posed a threat to the community, citing her concerns of King's specific references to abusing his unborn child.
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Comments
2024-03-30T06:03-0500 | Comment by: Jim
Thus sicko deserves the Death Penalty.
2024-04-03T16:45-0500 | Comment by: Steve
This one needs to be put away for a long time!!