A child has interactions with a variety of different adults throughout their day. In addition to their teachers and parents, they also interact with other family members and family friends, among others. Unfortunately, police in Missouri have recently accused one man of sodomy for his alleged relationship with a teenager.
Police have accused the 24-year-old man of having sex with a 13-year-old. The alleged crimes are said to have occurred between Nov. 2015 and Dec. 2016. As a result of the alleged relationship, the man has been charged with first-degree statutory sodomy. It is unclear how these accusations came to light or what evidence supports the charge.
The man reportedly worked at Child Alive and Learning Leadership program as a child mentor. However, police claim that he knew the alleged victim through family rather than through his job. While police say they do not suspect that there are additional victims, they are asking anyone who claims to be a victim to contact them.
When accusations of a sexual nature are made against an adult and involve a child, it is easy to forget that all those arrested for a crime — including sodomy — are presumed innocent until — and only if — proved otherwise. To ensure that innocent people in Missouri and across the country are not wrongfully convicted, the burden of proof is purposefully set high and may be difficult to meet. To help navigate the proceedings of the criminal justice system, many defendants seek the guidance of an attorney with experience with mounting a criminal defense.
Source: ksdk.com, “Child mentor accused of sex with 13-year-old boy“, Sam Clancy, Dec. 22, 2016