Former teacher charged with child sex crimes in Saline County

MARSHALL, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former school teacher has been charged in Saline County with multiple child sex crimes after court documents claim he abused two children.

Justin Hendricks, 41, of Marshall, was charged on Tuesday with first-degree sexual abuse of a victim younger than 14 years old and second-degree child molestation of a child younger than 12 years old. He is being held at the Saline County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Hendricks appeared for his arraignment on Friday by video from the jail. A hearing was set for 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Court documents claim Hendricks sexually assaulted two children over multiple years, with dates including 2019 and 2022 specifically listed in documents. The probable cause statement claims several of the assault allegedly occurred at his homes in Marshall and another occurred in Florida.

Hendricks denied the allegations, when confronted by law enforcement, the statement says.

Hendricks had previously worked as a high school social studies teacher in the Carrollton R-7 School District during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years, according to an email from Superintendent Danny DeWitt.

DeWitt wrote that he had just became aware of Hendricks charges when asked by ABC 17 News. He stated that the charges are not related to the school.