Chicago vet, dog show judge charged with child porn, allegedly planned to sexually abuse child he was expecting through surrogate

A Chicago dog show judge and veterinarian was arrested on Friday on child pornography charges following a months-long investigation by the FBI.

39-year-old Adam Stafford King was charged with one count of distributing child pornography, according to CBS News.

FBI agents began investigating King in October after agents learned of a subject in New York who had been messaging with King through Scruff, a gay dating app, as well as the messaging platform Telegram. King had reportedly sent that person videos of child pornography.

FBI agents arrested the New York subject, and posed as him and continued to chat with King, who went by the handle @pervchiguy. King wrote that he prefers children under the age of 10.

King claimed during the chats with the agents that he had drugged and sexually abused his nieces and nephews, allegedly writing, "I generally use Benadryl." He said the allergy drug known for its drowsy side effect provides a "wide safety margin" and is "easy," claiming it "generally takes 30-45 min[utes]," and that he gave the children double the adult dose.

King and his husband were reportedly expecting a child through a surrogate, with court records stating that he planned to sexually assault the child after it was born. He messaged a photograph of the baby’s outfit on the platform, which was found during a search of his Elburn, Illinois home.

King allegedly wrote in a message, "I do love the idea of inviting a buddy over when I have my boy … just has to be someone I can trust obviously."

A search warrant was conducted on King’s home by the FBI on March 5. The FBI conducted a search of his phone, finding images of child pornography as well as an ultrasound image of his son.

King was arrested days before he was set to fly to California for a visit with his surrogate ahead of the child’s birth.

Prosecutors asked in King’s initial court hearing Friday that he be held without bond.

King worked as a staff ophthalmologist at MedVet Chicago, and was scheduled to serve as a judge for the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. On Monday, the American Kennel Club said King had been stripped of his judging privileges, and his biography no longer appears on MedVet Chicago's page.