Patthebunny
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5 family members charged in sex crimes case
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11/11/2009
Updated: 1:37 p.m.
LEXINGTON, Mo -- Five members of a family are charged in western Missouri with sex crimes against children. Authorities say a search of the men's land includes the possibility of a body or bodies.
The five men arrested Tuesday are charged with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child less than 12 years old and use of a child in a sexual performance. Allegations include bestiality and forcing an 11-year-old to have an abortion.
Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said Wednesday authorities believe there may be a body or bodies buried on land outside Bates City owned by the family.
The sheriff asked for the public's help in the investigation, saying that "there may be other victims out
Earlier story:
LEXINGTON, Mo. Authorities were searching a rural property in western Missouri on Wednesday for glass jars with notes written by children who allegedly were abused by their relatives about 20 years ago.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said crews were scouring several acres of land outside Bates City in connection with the arrest of five men on various charges of sexually abusing children.
Five members of the same family _ all men _ were arrested Tuesday. They face charges of crimes against children, using a child in a sexual performance, forcible sodomy and forcible rape, crimes that allegedly occurred from 1988 through 1995, according to court records.
Arrested were Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, and his sons, Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, also of Independence;
Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.
All five were being held in the Lafayette County jail on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.
Cpl. Bill Lowe of the highway patrol said one of the alleged victims, a daughter of one of the accused, came forward to investigators in mid-August with the allegations and that her siblings have been cooperating in the probe.
Lowe said the woman told investigators that she and the other alleged victims, three girls and a boy, buried glass jars around the property, filled with messages "about what was happening to them" when they were younger.
"Right now what our main focus is the glass jars and trying to locate them," Lowe said. "Those jars have that information."
He said crews were using dogs to assist in the search on the property that had been owned by the Mohler family outside Bates City, which is about 30 miles east of Kansas City, Mo.
Five victims have been located, but the number "could possibly expand," Lowe said. He said all were under the age of 12 at the time of the alleged abuse.
The Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, the Rural Missouri Major Case Squad and the Highway Patrol were investigating, with the help of the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Columbia police seized a computer and discs from Jared Mohler's home on Tuesday, police spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
One of the suspects, David Mohler, has worked for Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, for 27 years and was arrested on its Independence campus.
"Police came in and put handcuffs on him and led him away," university President John Sellars said. "It was all very quiet and subdued."
He said David Mohler periodically traveled to Independence to work on Graceland's phone systems there. Sellars described David Mohler as "a very nice person who got along well with his colleagues."
"We were stunned," Sellars said. "At this point these are allegations, and of course we need to hear more because I don't know very much at this point."
Sellars said he spoke to David Mohler's wife, Michelle Mohler, on Tuesday and that she also was "shocked and stunned."
He said the couple has grown children, but he did not know their ages or where they lived.
Deborah Burris, who has lived across the street from Burrell Mohler Sr. for several years, described the suspect as a friendly, helpful neighbor.
"We didn't even know he had sons. We didn't know anyone but Burrell himself," Burris said.
She said she thought Mohler lived with his wife and a daughter, but she had never seen them. He was occasionally seen walking around the neighborhood but had appeared frail lately, Burris said.
She said Mohler's house has an apartment on the north side, and there had been "quite a bit of activity there at different times."
"I had thought maybe someone was moving in or out of there," Burris said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11/11/2009
Updated: 1:37 p.m.
LEXINGTON, Mo -- Five members of a family are charged in western Missouri with sex crimes against children. Authorities say a search of the men's land includes the possibility of a body or bodies.
The five men arrested Tuesday are charged with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child less than 12 years old and use of a child in a sexual performance. Allegations include bestiality and forcing an 11-year-old to have an abortion.
Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said Wednesday authorities believe there may be a body or bodies buried on land outside Bates City owned by the family.
The sheriff asked for the public's help in the investigation, saying that "there may be other victims out
Earlier story:
LEXINGTON, Mo. Authorities were searching a rural property in western Missouri on Wednesday for glass jars with notes written by children who allegedly were abused by their relatives about 20 years ago.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said crews were scouring several acres of land outside Bates City in connection with the arrest of five men on various charges of sexually abusing children.
Five members of the same family _ all men _ were arrested Tuesday. They face charges of crimes against children, using a child in a sexual performance, forcible sodomy and forcible rape, crimes that allegedly occurred from 1988 through 1995, according to court records.
Arrested were Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, and his sons, Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, also of Independence;
Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.
All five were being held in the Lafayette County jail on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys.
Cpl. Bill Lowe of the highway patrol said one of the alleged victims, a daughter of one of the accused, came forward to investigators in mid-August with the allegations and that her siblings have been cooperating in the probe.
Lowe said the woman told investigators that she and the other alleged victims, three girls and a boy, buried glass jars around the property, filled with messages "about what was happening to them" when they were younger.
"Right now what our main focus is the glass jars and trying to locate them," Lowe said. "Those jars have that information."
He said crews were using dogs to assist in the search on the property that had been owned by the Mohler family outside Bates City, which is about 30 miles east of Kansas City, Mo.
Five victims have been located, but the number "could possibly expand," Lowe said. He said all were under the age of 12 at the time of the alleged abuse.
The Lafayette County Sheriff's Department, the Rural Missouri Major Case Squad and the Highway Patrol were investigating, with the help of the Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.
Columbia police seized a computer and discs from Jared Mohler's home on Tuesday, police spokeswoman Jessie Haden said.
One of the suspects, David Mohler, has worked for Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, for 27 years and was arrested on its Independence campus.
"Police came in and put handcuffs on him and led him away," university President John Sellars said. "It was all very quiet and subdued."
He said David Mohler periodically traveled to Independence to work on Graceland's phone systems there. Sellars described David Mohler as "a very nice person who got along well with his colleagues."
"We were stunned," Sellars said. "At this point these are allegations, and of course we need to hear more because I don't know very much at this point."
Sellars said he spoke to David Mohler's wife, Michelle Mohler, on Tuesday and that she also was "shocked and stunned."
He said the couple has grown children, but he did not know their ages or where they lived.
Deborah Burris, who has lived across the street from Burrell Mohler Sr. for several years, described the suspect as a friendly, helpful neighbor.
"We didn't even know he had sons. We didn't know anyone but Burrell himself," Burris said.
She said she thought Mohler lived with his wife and a daughter, but she had never seen them. He was occasionally seen walking around the neighborhood but had appeared frail lately, Burris said.
She said Mohler's house has an apartment on the north side, and there had been "quite a bit of activity there at different times."
"I had thought maybe someone was moving in or out of there," Burris said.
