A Sedalia man arrested in connection with a missing local teenager earlier this week has been charged with a sex crime.
Matthew R. Fischer, 28, of Sedalia, has been charged with second degree statutory sodomy. He has been issued a $10,000 bond, cash or surety.
Fischer was arrested early Wednesday morning by Pettis County Sheriff’s Office deputies as requested by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office because he was a person of interest in an Endangered Person Advisory issued by Morgan County. Fischer told detectives he did not know where the missing teen was and that she wouldn’t disclose her location to him.
The teen was later found safe in Arkansas thanks to a tip from another Missouri sheriff’s office, according to a Morgan County news release.
According to court documents, during questioning by a Morgan County detective that same morning, Fischer confessed to molesting a girl in the parking lot of a Sedalia gas station. Fischer said he met the girl on the dating website Plenty of Fish. He said he had been communicating with her, then met her at a business near his residence. During that meeting, Fischer said he and the girl began kissing and he touched her inappropriately.
Court documents state the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office has not been able to speak with the victim due to her being evaluated by medical personnel, and they have not received any disclosure of sexual incidents or abuse.
Law enforcement was working to corroborate Fischer’s statements by checking video footage from the business, as well as looking for broken glass in the area, according to court documents. Fischer told the detective he had used a rock to break the rear passenger side window of the vehicle the girl was using, as she had locked the keys inside it when exiting.
Online court records show Fischer’s criminal history includes stealing, possession of marijuana, assault and resisting arrest.
