David Stogner, who had been on the run since 2020 from child exploitation and child molestation charges in Columbia and was arrested in Denver last year, was extradited back to Columbia last month to face his charges.
Stogner, 34, was first arrested July 11, 2018, by the Columbia Police Department on felony charges of child molestation-touching child for lustful purpose and child pornography. Former CPD Det. Candace Stuart had received a tip about a molestation and, through her investigation, found enough evidence to get an arrest warrant for child pornography as well. However, the child pornography charge is no longer active.
When he was initially arrested in 2018, he was also charged with possession of controlled substance paraphernalia as well as having an outstanding warrant for domestic violence.
In 2019, Stogner did not appear for his court hearing, and a bench warrant was issued for his detainment in 2020. Because the Marion County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for all warrants, the department had been searching for Stogner since 2020 but had to turn over the search to the U.S. Marshals.
Stogner, who was allegedly living under the alias of Jessie Mauldin, was arrested in Colorado in November 2024 on breaking and entering and burglary charges. After learning of his true identity, Denver PD notified the CPD and sheriff's office that it had Stogner in custody.
Both the CPD and sheriff's office reported they were unaware of Stogner’s alias, but it was suspected because he seemingly dropped off the face of the earth with no paper trail. Both departments had received unconfirmed information that Stogner could be living in Colorado but not of his precise whereabouts.
CPD Det. Jonathon Martin said whenever a fugitive is expected to be operating under an alias, you have to know what that fake name is to be able to find them. He added that the investigation remains active, and more charges could be issued.
“When I got hired on here, Chief (Adrien) Fortenberry said, ‘Let’s find this guy.’ It took a little while, but he popped up,” Martin said last year. “When Chief Fortenberry came in, he made it his mission that if anything out there needs to be buttoned up, we’re going to do the buttoning.”
Stogner faces four counts of exploitation of a child and two counts of touching a child for lustful purposes.
