Joplin Chiropractor Indicted for Child Pornography

A Joplin chiropractor has been indicted by a federal grand jury for receiving and distributing child pornography.

Eric Hedman, 39, was charged in a single-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on May 24, 2023. That indictment was unsealed and made public today upon Hedman’s arrest and initial court appearance.

Hedman, who operated his own practice at Hedman Chiropractic at the time of the alleged offense, is charged with one count of receiving and distributing child pornography between Jan. 1 and Dec. 12, 2022.

The charge contained in this indictment is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cybercrimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”