Decorated 'Hero' Cop, Featured on TV — Busted Trying to Have Sex with 12yo, Trafficking Child Porn
Sioux Falls, SD — Sioux Falls police officer Luke John Schauer was a decorated cop who has been the subject of television interviews and has received multiple awards during his tenure in law enforcement in South Dakota. All of that is meaningless now, however, as his desires of pedophilia have risen to the surface and he is facing down decades in prison.
Schauer was arrested on Tuesday and hit with a slew of charges ranging from the production of child porn to sending lewd images to a child under the age of 16. According to police, Schauer, 28, thought he was communicating with a 12-year-old girl online using the KiK messenging app.
Luckily, however, it was not a child but rather uncover FBI agents involved in a sting. Beginning on Jan. 18 and ending on Feb. 4, when the search warrant was issued for Schauer's house, this hometown "hero" was having sexually explicit conversations with a person he thought was just 12 years old.
According to the affidavit filed in the case, Schauer sent multiple explicit messages and images to the undercover officer, including images of his genitals. He also encouraged the child to make her own child porn and send it to him.
Police also said Schauer was caught sending lewd materials to another child under the age of 16. Though all the local news stories are referring to Schauer as a "former cop," he wasn't fired from the department until his arrest.
Following his arrest, on Wednesday, the mayor released the following statement:
Upon learning of the allegations surrounding Officer Schauer’s arrest, he did not work another shift for the Sioux Falls Police Department and is no longer a member of our Police department. In order to protect the integrity of the ongoing criminal proceedings and the rights of all involved, no further details will be provided at this time.
According to investigators, they were able to determine Schauer had been sending the lewd photos of himself to children online from his own bedroom. TFTP found Schauer's social media profile and it appears that he is married with a child, adding to the disgusting nature of his crimes.
When a search warrant was executed at Schauer's home, investigators found blankets and portions of a bedroom that matched the backgrounds in the photos Schauer sent.
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Though he pleaded not guilty after his arrest, according to court documents, two FBI agents reported that Schauer admitted to using his social media account to send lewd messages and graphic images to someone he believed was a 12-year-old girl, and to requesting photos from the girl.
The exchange of messages Schauer had with the undercover agent — who he thought was a 12-year-old girl — are shocking, to say the least. The things he said to a child and encouraged her to do were utterly sickening especially considering that he has a daughter of his own.
Those conversations are in the court documents below.
Adding to the disturbing nature of this scenario is the fact that Schauer was a "hero" cop who, in 2018 was presented with a medal of valor along with two other officers after a struggle with an armed man.
In 2019, Schauer was presented with a ‘Lifesaving Award’ according to the Sioux Falls Police Department 2019 Annual Report.
And, in 2016, he was the subject of a local television special in which he talked about police recruitment.
“I like to help people at their worst and their best,” Schauer said in the interview at the time, according to KELO. “We’re all in the same game together. Whether you’re in one department or another, you’re still all part of the same goal. That’s to serve and protect the public.”
Serving and protecting everyone but 12-year-old girls, apparently.
According to the court documents, Schauer faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, with a minimum of 15 years and up to a $500,000 fine.
