Former Saline County teacher found not guilty of child sex crimes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former teacher who was accused of child sex crimes was found not guilty, the Saline County prosecutor told ABC 17 News on Wednesday.

Justin Hendricks, of Marshall, was charged in 2024 with first-degree sexual abuse and second-degree child molestation, among other charges. He was acquitted of all seven charges, according to his attorney and the prosecutor.  

Authorities accused Hendricks of abusing two youth over multiple years, court documents from previous reporting show.

Previous reporting shows Hendricks had denied the allegations when he was confronted by law enforcement.

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 year, previous reporting shows. The charges were not related to the school, the district told ABC 17 News in 2024.