Child Sex Crimes news graphic

Brookfield man facing child sex crime charges in Linn County, now facing child sex crime charges in Livingston County

A Brookfield man charged with felony first-degree rape or attempted rape in Linn County faces felony charges in Livingston County. Twenty-four-year-old Timothy David Marles II has been charged in Livingston County with two counts of enticement or attempted enticement of a child. No bond is allowed. A probable cause statement says Marles began an online […]

Prison Sentence

Missouri man sentenced to 7 years in prison for possessing illegal firearm

A Missouri man was sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing the firearm he was carrying at the time he was arrested for rape and sex trafficking in Lawrence County, Mo. David Arnold, 48, of Everton, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to seven years and one month in federal prison without […]

Booking photo courtesy Adair County Jail via Vinelink

Milan man facing multiple sex-related charges

A Milan man faces multiple sex-related felony charges. Twenty-one year old Brody Allen Smith has been charged with statutory sodomy involving deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 14, first-degree statutory rape or attempted statutory rape involving a person less than 14, statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy involving deviate sexual intercourse with a […]

Guilty Plea

Missouri doctor pleads guilty to making false statements to obtain insurance coverage for fentanyl prescription

A Missouri, physician pleaded guilty in federal court to making a false statement to Medicare to obtain insurance coverage for a fentanyl prescription and to conspiring with others to use his DEA registration number to issue Schedule II controlled substances to patients in his absence. Randall Halley, 65, Nixa, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate […]

Trenton Missouri Police Department (TPD)

Trenton man facing charges of harassment, stalking and assault

Charges have been filed against A Trenton man following an investigation last week by the Trenton Police Department. Twenty-four-year-old Isaac James Wattenbarger faces three felony counts: 1st-degree harassment, 1st-degree stalking, and 2nd-degree assault. Bond is $35,000 cash with Wattenbarger to appear December 14th in Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court. Wattenbarger is accused of causing […]

Audio: Case adding greater protections for rape survivors heads to Missouri Supreme Court

A case heads to the Missouri Supreme Court this week about a state law adding greater protections for sexual assault survivors.     The Missouri Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday about a 2020 law known as the “Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights”. The law streamlines the testing and tracking of rape kits […]

Child Molestation

Man from Moberly facing 9 counts of child molestation in Linn and Randolph counties

A Moberly man faces sex-related charges in Linn County after investigations in Marceline and Randolph County regarding allegations of sexual abuse. Online court information shows 39-year old David Aaron Hart has been charged in Linn County with the felonies of first-degree statutory rape, first-degree statutory sodomy, and first-degree child molestation. Bond was set at $500,000 […]

Sex Crime

Marceline man facing 43 counts of sex offense charges bound to Division One in Linn County Court

A Marceline man charged with 43 counts of first-degree sex offenses had counts bound over to Division One of Linn County Circuit Court on October 13th. Online court information indicates the court found probable cause to believe Roger Cupp committed 32 counts that involved statutory rape, attempted statutory rape, and statutory sodomy. He was bound […]

Child Sex Crimes news graphic

Man charged with 118 counts of child sex crimes pleads “Not Guilty” in Linn County Circuit Court

A Macon man charged with 118 felony counts has entered a plea of not guilty in Division One of Linn County Circuit Court. Fifty-four-year-old Kenneth Harper faces multiple counts of child molestation, statutory sodomy, and statutory rape. Harper waived formal arraignment, and his case was passed to January 4th for setting or disposition. The alleged […]

Rape news graphic

Audio: Missouri pediatrician wants state to change the way it handles rape cases involving children

A Missouri pediatrician wants the state to change the way it handles sexual assault cases involving children. St. Louis Children’s Hospital Doctor Adrienne Atzemis says state law currently reimburses sexually transmitted disease testing for victims younger than age 14. During a statewide task force hearing, she says that’s not the case for kids 14 and […]

Rape Kit or SAFE kit, sexual assault kit

Video/Audio: Missouri’s effort to get thousands of rape kits tested is making progress

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt gave an update on the SAFE Kit Initiative, reporting positive progress in clearing the backlog of untested sexual assault kits through the initiative. The Springfield Police Department also announced that they have completely cleared out their backlog, leaving zero untested sexual assault kits in their inventory. “As a husband, father, […]

Abortion Law

Federal court hears arguments on Missouri abortion ban with no rape, incest exception

(Missouri Independent) – The fate of Missouri’s ban on abortion after eight weeks of pregnancy, with no exception for rape or incest, rests in the hands of a panel of federal judges.  Arguments Tuesday before the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis, and questions from the judges, focused almost exclusively on another provision […]

Abortion news graphic

U.S. Supreme Court schedules December 1 oral arguments in major abortion case

(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on December 1, 2021, in a case that threatens to overturn decades of abortion protections established under the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. The upcoming case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, stems from a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 […]

Child Sex Crimes news graphic

Bucklin man charged with 43 counts of child sex offenses pleads “Not Guilty”

A Bucklin man charged with 43 counts of first-degree sex offenses entered a plea of not guilty on September 7, when 54-year-old Roger Cupp waived formal arraignment. The court denied bond modification at this time, and a bond hearing is scheduled for September 9, 2021. The Highway Patrol previously reported Cupp was to be held […]

Child Molestation

Bucklin man arrested on 11 counts of child molestation, 19 counts of sodomy and 12 counts of rape with child less than age 14

The Highway Patrol reports the arrest of a Bucklin man on a felony Linn County warrant for child molestation. Fifty-four-year-old Roger Cupp was arrested in Linn County on September 3rd. He was transported to the Linn County Sheriff’s Department. Online court information indicates Cupp faces 11 felony counts of child molestation, as well as 19 […]