A Missouri man, David J. McKay, 43, of Waynesville, was sentenced Oct. 28, 2022, to 30 years in federal prison without parole for molesting four boys. A former first sergeant in the Missouri Army National Guard, McKay is the ex-director of the youth ministry at the US Army's Fort Leonard Wood. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.
When he was a first sergeant in the Missouri Army National Guard and the youth ministry director for Fort Leonard Wood’s Religious Services Office, David J. McKay sexually abused four boys.
His victims ranged in age from 11 to 17 years.
The first incident occurred in 2010, the last in 2017.
He molested the children in a storage room inside a Fort Leonard Wood schoolhouse, a garrison residence, the base’s Happy Hollow campground, a tent in Kansas, and during a youth group ski trip to Colorado, according to a plea agreement he inked with federal prosecutors on April 29, 2021.
On Friday, Oct. 28, in Springfield, US Chief District Judge Beth Phillips sentenced McKay to 30 years behind bars for transporting a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, plus four counts of sexually abusing children.
Built in 1940 in the Missiouri Ozarks, the US Army's Fort Leonard Wood is best known as a training base. Here, Pfc. Nathan Waters, left, and Pfc. Matthew Williams apply camouflage face paint before a breaching demonstration put on for friends and family during a graduation ceremony held May 18, 2018, on Fort Leonard Wood's Gammon Field. US Army photo by Dawn Arden.
McKay, 44, won't get a chance for parole. And when he exits the penitentiary, the ex-solider will be placed on supervised release until the day he dies.
The Waynesville man had faced up to a lifetime prison sentence. His attorney did not return Coffee or Die Magazine’s messages seeking comment.
Phillips recommended that McKay be incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Seagoville, a minimum-security prison in Texas. She also urged federal officials to ensure he undergoes sex offender treatment.
As part of McKay’s federal plea deal, the Pulaski County prosecuting attorney agreed to drop all state charges against him.
Read Next: 3 US Warships Battle Drug Traffickers in Gulf of Oman
Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.
Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.
Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.
A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.
Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.
For nearly as long as the Army-Navy football rivalry, the academies’ hoofed mascots have stared each other down from the sidelines. Here are their stories.
Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.
Ambushes make for great action scenes. Here are seven of the best to ever grace the big screen.
