A 32-year-old Pineville man was arrested after a report to the local police department alleging he had illicit and inappropriate photographs of a young female on his cell phone.
Initially, the investigation of Ryan D. Crawford was conducted jointly by the Pineville Police Department and the McDonald County Sheriff's Office.
The children were referred to the Children's Center in Joplin, and subsequent to those interviews, Crawford was interviewed by the investigator of the McDonald County Prosecutor's office. During that interview, Crawford made statements that were corroborative of the allegations against him.
Prosecutor Bill Dobbs initially filed charges of child molestation in the first degree, a class A felony, and sexual misconduct in the first degree, a class E felony.
However, based upon additional allegations, the initial complaint has been amended to reflect an additional four counts of child molestation in the first degree, bringing the total number of felony counts to six.
These acts allegedly occurred in Crawford's home.
Crawford is currently being held in lieu of a $50,000 cash bond.
Community on 12/28/2017