Active-duty soldier charged with statutory rape, child molestation
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
An active-duty soldier at Fort Leonard Wood has been charged in Pulaski County with multiple child sex crimes.
Juan Cabrer-Matias, of St. Robert, was charged on Monday with second-degree statutory rape, sexual misconduct involving a child younger than 15 years old and fourth-degree child molestation. A warrant was served and a $75,000 bond was set. An arraignment was held on Tuesday.
A counsel status hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12 and a preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26.
The probable cause statement says the 14-year-old girl was reported missing from Independence, Missouri, on May 9. On Aug. 3, St. Robert police and investigators from Fort Leonard Wood were trying to find the girl and eventually found her and Cabrer-Matias in a vehicle, the statement says.
The victim allegedly told police that she was in a “relationship” with Cabrer-Matias, but initially told Cabrer-Matias she was 18 years old. However, sexual contact continued after she disclosed her real age, the statement says. Text messages recovered by investigators allegedly showed that Cabrer-Matias knew of her real age in May, the statement says.
The victim had allegedly been living with Cabrer-Matias since she ran away, the statement says.