In July 2023, the Tulsa Police Department's Sexual Predator/Digital Evidence Recovery Unit ("SPIDER Unit") received a report regarding a 16-year-old victim from Tulsa who was subjected to inappropriate communication by a 27-year-old adult coworker.
The victim disclosed to Detectives that she worked with a “Stephen” at a Tulsa restaurant, where he began grooming her into an online relationship. During their online interactions, he manipulated her into sending explicit photos and videos.
Detectives located and interviewed Stephen Erik Schaub. During the interview, Schaub confessed to asking the victim for sexually explicit images and admitted to using his phone to search for and view other child sex abuse material.
A forensic examination of his cellphone revealed that Schaub had saved the explicit content he coerced the victim into sending. Additionally, Detectives discovered sexual images of other young children.
On 9/25/2024, Schaub pleaded guilty to:
Using Technology to Engage in Sexual Communication with a Minor
Possession of Child Sex Abuse Material (2 counts)
A judge sentenced Schaub to 7 years in prison for his crimes. Upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender.
We commend the victim for her tremendous courage in coming forward and reporting the criminal conduct. Without her bravery, a predator would likely still be preying on young people in Tulsa. We owe her our deepest gratitude.
The SPIDER Unit would like to remind the public that although Oklahoma law may permit minors as young as 16 to engage in consensual sexual relationships with adults in some circumstances, it is illegal under state law to engage in sexual communication with anyone under 18 via electronic devices. Furthermore, it is a violation of both state and federal law to possess sexual images of anyone under 18 at the time the image was created.
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