Columbia man arrested, accused of multiple child sex charges

A Columbia man was arrested Monday, accused of a string of child sex abuse charges.

The investigation began in early 2013 and was conducted by Columbia and Centralia police departments.

A probable cause statement has been submitted to the Boone County Prosecuting Attorney’s office and police are requesting 22-year-old Tony Jones Jr. be charged with the following felonies:

Four counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of sexual trafficking of a child, three counts of promoting child pornography, three counts of use of a child in sexual performance and three counts of child abuse.

Jones is being held in the Boone County Jail awaiting formal arraignment by the Boone County Circuit Court. Police say the established bonds of the 13 classified felonies equal $58,500. The bonds on the other unclassified felonies are to be set.

The investigation is ongoing.