What started as a weekend call about an intruder in a Union neighborhood ended with a St. Louis man sitting in the Franklin County Jail, facing multiple sex-crime and assault charges and held without bond.
Union police say they arrested the man after finding him inside a home in the city and speaking with a 15-year-old who told officers the two had been sexually involved for several months. Franklin County prosecutors have now charged him with statutory rape and statutory sodomy, among other offenses, and the case is moving into the court system as investigators continue their work.
According to reporting by KRCG, the situation unfolded on Saturday, April 11, after residents on the 300 block of Christopher Place reported someone inside a house. Officers who responded say they found a man hiding in the basement. Two juveniles at the scene told police the man had struck and shoved them, the outlet reports. One juvenile told officers he hit her in the face as he tried to leave, and the 15-year-old later told investigators she and the man had been having sex for several months, according to the station.
What the charges mean
Under Missouri law, a person 21 or older who has sexual intercourse with someone under 17 can be charged with second-degree statutory rape, a class D felony under Missouri Revised Statutes §566.034. The statute is outlined in Justia. Second-degree statutory sodomy, which involves deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 17 by someone 21 or older, is addressed in §566.064, as summarized by FindLaw.
Franklin County prosecutors have charged Mohammed Saeed with five counts of second-degree statutory rape, one count of second-degree statutory sodomy, third-degree assault and a misdemeanor count of fourth-degree assault. He was booked into the Franklin County Jail and is being held without bond, according to KRCG. The initial report did not detail court records or scheduled hearings, and the case is expected to proceed through Franklin County Circuit Court.
Union and Franklin County officials have asked anyone with information about the case to contact local authorities. Both the Union Police Department and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office list contact information and nonemergency numbers on their official sites, and the Union Police Department provides guidance online for submitting tips.
