St. Joseph man arrested, charged with possession of child pornography

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control (DDCC) announced the arrest of the St. Joseph man who was also charged with the possession of child pornography.

Billy E. Meyerdirk, 48, of St. Joseph, Missouri, was arrested and charged following the result of an investigation conducted by the Special Victims Unit (SVU), with assistance from the Missouri Digital Forensic Center.

In April 2026, SVU investigators conducted an online investigation for offenders sharing child pornography over the internet. During the investigation, an IP address associated with Meyerdirk was identified as sharing/uploading Child Sexual Abuse Material.

Investigators executed a search warrant on May 28 and were able to contact and interview Meyerdirk.

Several child pornography images were located on electronic devices at the residence. As a result, Meyerdirk was arrested and transported to the Buchanan County Jail.

The Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney formally charged Meyerdirk with two counts of Possession of Child Pornography. He's being held at the Buchanan County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

DDCC encourages internet users to promptly report anyone who attempts to engage in unwanted, inappropriate or sexualized communications with children to the Patrol or local law enforcement.

Meyerdirk has a preliminary hearing scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on June 9 at the Buchanan County Courthouse, where Judge Rebecca Spender will hear his case.