ST. LOUIS – A Festus, Missouri, man appeared in federal court on Wednesday after being caught with child pornography and approaching children in Kirkwood in 2022.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Darrell R. Sanders, 29, pleaded guilty in February to one count of receiving child porn and one count of possessing child porn.

On April 12, 2022, Kirkwood police received two separate reports of a man attempting to convince two young girls—ages 11 and 8—to get into his minivan near Evans and W. Jewel avenues between 3:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.

One of the girls was standing on the sidewalk when the suspect pulled up in his van and asked to see her toes. In the other instance, the suspect drove up to a girl on a scooter and asked her to come see something in his van. That girl ran away and hid.

After being arrested, Sanders admitted to driving the van and calling out to both girls. Sanders told police he’d had sexual thoughts related to underage children.

Sanders told the court he gave police permission to search his phones. Officers found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on two cellphones belonging to Sanders.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced Sanders to 11 years in federal prison.

Sanders still faces charges in St. Louis County Circuit Court on one count of possession of child pornography and two counts of enticement of a child. He’s scheduled to face trial by jury in January 2025.