Grand jury indictment results in more charges for man accused of child sex crimes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A grand jury indictment on Friday resulted in more charges being filed against a Columbia man who was already accused of statutory rape.
William Lee Nichols, 51, is now charged with child enticement, three counts of child pornography possession, three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and two counts of statutory rape. Nichols is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An arraignment is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 20 at the Boone County Courthouse.
Nichols was initially charged in March with second-degree statutory rape, second-degree statutory sodomy, possession of child pornography and promoting child pornography.
The probable cause statement says Nichols started having sex with a girl in 2019 and that it went on until the girl turned 16 in 2021. Some of the incidents involved sex toys, which were found after a search warrant was executed at his residence in March. The probable cause statement claims he sent nude images of himself to the victim and also made her send him nude photos via email.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Task Force received a report from the National Center for Missouri and Exploited Children on Nov. 3, 2022.
When a search warrant was executed on March 16, Nichols allegedly admitted to being associated with the email address associated with the report, the probable cause statement says.
More evidence was presented to a Boone County grand jury on Friday, which resulted in additional charges, according to the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
