Alexander Michael Stephenson
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — An Oklahoma National Guardsman from Stillwater has been ordered to appear in court on June 5 when he can seek a preliminary hearing on Payne County charges accusing him of possessing and distributing child pornography in May.
Alexander Michael Stephenson, 28, “was set to deploy with the Oklahoma National Guard to Africa prior to his arrest,” in El Paso, Tex., Stillwater Police Lt. Terry Low said in a news release.
Stillwater Police Detective Stephanie Wheeler had received a cyber tip on Sept. 29, 2022, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that “a suspect using the social media app Kik uploaded/shared apparent child sexual abuse material,” the news release said.
“Detective Wheeler, a member of the Criminal Investigations Unit and cross-commissioned member of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigaton’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, began a thorough investigation to identify the suspect,” the news release said.
“Detective Wheeler worked alongside investigators with the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division to secure the identity and arrest of Stephenson,” the news release said.
Stephenson, who was arraigned in Payne County District Court last week, remains free on $100,000 bail, court records show.
