Fayetteville police arrested an Ozark Guidance Center employee Wednesday after they say he bought hundreds of dollars worth of child pornography DVDs.
Brad McMullin, 50, was arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography. He will be booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Wednesday night, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
McMullin is a nurse at Ozark Guidance Center. He has been placed on administrative leave for the duration of the investigation, according to a spokesperson for the center.
McMullin is also a volunteer for the children’s ministry at Sequoyah United Methodist Church. He has been suspended from that position with the church, pending the results of the criminal investigation, according to the church.
A nationwide investigation into a Canadian child pornography operation led police to a distribution center in New York, where authorities seized the company’s customer database, according to a preliminary report from the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.
Documents showed McMullin bought seven DVDs from the company for a total of $527.83 between 2009 and 2011, police said. Authorities reviewed several of the videos and confirmed them as child pornography, the report states.
The Fayetteville Police Department executed a search warrant on McMullin’s home on Margaret Place early Wednesday morning. During the search, police said they found child pornography being played on a monitor in one of the home’s rooms.
Police later made contact with McMullin, and he came to the police department, where he was arrested.
The suspect admitted to an investigator that he ordered the DVDs, but said he did not realize they were illegal, according to the preliminary report.
Statement from Sequoyah United Methodist Church:
It was with deep sadness, regret and concern that Sequoyah United Methodist Church learned today that Brad McMullin was arrested on charges of Receiving Child Pornography through the U.S. Mail. Mr. McMullin was a volunteer in SUMC’s children’s ministry, and the church has suspended him from that role pending the resolution of these charges. Nothing is more important to our church family than the safety of the children in our care, and we have taken every measure to ensure that young people may worship and fellowship in a secure environment. We ensured that Mr. McMullin was vetted through the United Methodist Church’s Safe Sanctuary program, which requires, among other things, that all adults in contact with children on our premises have background checks and are not left alone with children. At this time, we are aware of no misconduct of any kind involving Mr. McMullin in connection with SUMC activities. Sequoyah United Methodist pledges its full support and cooperation to authorities investigating this matter, and our prayers go out to all victims of exploitation wherever they may be.
