ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – An O’Fallon, Missouri, man is facing child pornography charges for sharing nude images of an infant to gain access to a social media chat group sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to the St. Charles County Police Department's probable cause statement, the Department of Homeland Security contacted local authorities on Sept. 13, 2024, about a lead their digital investigators uncovered on the social media app Telegram, implicating an O'Fallon resident engaging in "hands-on abuse."

Police learned a Telegram user submitted a "first-generation indecent image" of a baby in order to gain access to a Telegram group catering to CSAM, with a handwritten note displaying the name of the chat group.

Police said they linked various Telegram ID numbers, screen names, and user names to a telephone number belonging to Chad A. Bradley.

On Sept. 14, investigators obtained ping data showing the phone was in Salt Lake City. Police said they went to Bradley's home and met with a family member, who confirmed Bradley's phone number and said he was at a mental health facility in Salt Lake.

Authorities in Salt Lake City eventually seized Bradley's phone for evidence.

Police said Bradley, after having his phone taken from him, left the facility he was in and jumped in front of a moving vehicle. After the car struck him, Bradley spent weeks in a hospital in Utah. He was extradited to St. Charles County on Oct. 21.

The St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Bradley with first-degree promoting child pornography, possession of child pornography (first offense), and sexual misconduct involving a child under 15 (first offense). Bradley remains jailed on a $100,000 cash-only bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 26.