A Sedalia man who was recently hired by the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri was arrested earlier this week on two charges involving sexual molestation of a young girl in Marshall.
Jerome Lee Williams II, 19, was charged with two counts of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy of a person less than 12 years old, according to a probable cause statement provided by the Saline County Circuit Court. According to the statement, the incident occurred Jan. 3 at a residence in Marshall. On Jan. 6, a report came into an emergency hotline that a 6-year-old girl had been touched inappropriately at the Marshall home, according to the statement. Investigators met with the girl’s mother and she reported a “skinny white male, 19, with brown hair known only as Jerome had spent the night with her, her boyfriend and the little girl (referred to as LJ) on Tuesday, Jan. 3.”
The mother said she had taken Jerome home to Sedalia on Wednesday evening and that Jerome just started or was about to start a job at the Sedalia Boys & Girls Club, according to the statement. The Boys & Girls Club was contacted by the Saline County Prosecutor and it was discovered Williams was an employee scheduled to begin employment Jan. 8.
On Jan. 9, the girl completed an interview at Child Safe of West Central Missouri Inc. and she said Williams had pulled her pants down in the living room and touched her inappropriately in her genital area, according to the statement.
On Jan. 10, the Saline County Prosecutor learned Williams had been arrested by Pettis County Sheriff’s deputies for failing to register as a sex offender and was in the custody of the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecutor traveled to Sedalia and observed a Pettis County detective conduct an interview of Williams, according to the statement. Williams admitted to touching the girl inappropriately, saying he told the girl to remove her clothing and tried to coerce her to have sex with him, according the statement.
Police said court documents from Hennepin County, Minnesota, label Williams as a “predatory offender.”
Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri Executive Director Jessica Pyle said Williams had undergone a “state and national background screening and had passed.” Pyle said he had not undergone any training or orientation and he was being considered for employment. Pyle would not comment on who conducts the background investigation for the Boys & Girls Clubs of West Central Missouri.
