New Bloomfield man charged with sodomy, child molestation

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A New Bloomfield man was charged on Thursday in Callaway County with child sex crimes after authorities say he sexually abused a child in April.

Sean James Flanery, 19, was charged with first-degree sodomy of a victim younger than 12 years old and two counts of second-degree child molestation of a child younger than 12 years old. He is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was held on Friday morning.

The probable cause statement says the youth told a parent that Flanery sexually abused them the night of April 30. The parent allegedly would have Flanery routinely watched their child while they worked overnight, court documents say.

The parent came back to the residence the morning of May 1 and found the youth with Flanery in his bed, court documents say. The victim described the assault to the parent and investigators.

Flanery was interviewed on Thursday, and first allegedly claimed he “did not have much interaction” with the victim until admitting that he would “take care of” the victim while the parent was away, the statement says.

Flanery allegedly told police that he “decided to have Victim One stay in his bedroom to watch a children’s cartoon and have a ‘slumber party,’” court documents say. He first allegedly told law enforcement that he did not remember where the victim slept before admitting they slept in his bed, and claimed “it was possible” he could have touched the victim.