54-year-old Moberly man accused of child sex crime

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 54-year-old man from Moberly has been charged with enticing a child younger than 17 years old.

John Teel is being held at the Randolph County Jail on a $100,000 bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says someone described as a witness went to the Moberly Police Department on Sept. 21 after they learned the child received sexually explicit messages on Instagram from Teel.

The statement says messages dated back to Aug. 15 and included Teel asking to meet with the victim in person and for them to perform sexual acts. Teel has previously met the victim and knows they are a child, court documents say.

Teel allegedly told police that he said “no” to meeting the victim, though law enforcement noted in court documents that was not the case.