Holts Summit man charged with child molestation
FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Holts Summit man was charged with multiple sex crimes after he was accused of sexually assaulting children.
Richard Arlen Smith, 54, was charged with first-degree child molestation and second-degree sodomy. He is being held in the Callaway County Jail without bond. He was booked into the jail at 10:22 p.m. Thursday, according to jail records. An initial court appearance is set for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Callaway County Courthouse.
According to the probable cause statement, one of the victims was interviewed at Rainbow House on Feb. 29 and stated they were sexually assaulted by Smith on Feb. 18. A second victim had allegedly seen the assault and told authorities in an interview on March 14 that they were also assaulted on Feb. 17, the statement says.
Smith gave law enforcement permission to search his phone on Feb. 27. The probable cause statement says officers found “an unusual amount of photos of Victim 1” as well as links to a child pornography website, the statement says.
The statement says the Children’s Division from the Department of Social Services claims Smith has had multiple allegations brought against him since 2019.