Man in custody for sex crimes

Monday, January 24, 2005
Daniel Phillips

BENTON -- A search for a missing girl by the Scott County Sheriff's Department led to the arrest of a 25-year-old Jackson man on charges of child molestation and statutory rape.

Daniel L. Phillips is charged with two counts of child molestation in the first degree, statutory rape in the first degree, 10 counts of statutory rape in the second degree, and seven counts of statutory sodomy in the second degree. Scott County Prosecuting Attorney Paul Boyd, filed the charges Friday.

Phillips is being held in the Scott County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

Last week Scott County authorities were called to an Oran residence to investigate what initially appeared to be a runaway juvenile incident.

During the preliminary stages of the investigation, Scott County Sheriff's Lt. Jerry Bledsoe said the missing female's brother-in-law became a suspect. The brother-in-law said he dropped the female juvenile off at school at 8 a.m. the day she came up missing. School officials assisting law enforcement investigators were able to determine that this never happened.

Bledsoe said there were numerous reasons that lead them to believe that Phillips was involved in the disappearance of the female juvenile. After an extensive two-day search the missing female juvenile was located at a motel in Cape Girardeau.

As the investigation continued it was discovered there had allegedly been numerous sexual related contacts between Phillips and the victim since the summer of 2002. Bledsoe said the sexual contacts allegedly started when the victim was 13 years of age.

Bledsoe said there is a possibility that additional charges may be filed against Phillips.

A close working relationship between the Scott County Sheriff's Department, Cape Girardeau Police Department, school officials and family members caused this case to come to a quick conclusion, officials said.

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