A 20-year-old La Monte man is being held on $100,000 bond after Pettis County investigators say a months-long inquiry into alleged sexual misconduct against a child escalated dramatically when a search of his phone turned up child sexual abuse material. Cayden Alexander Ritzo faces three felony charges tied to the case, according to Pettis County authorities.
The investigation began on May 11, 2026, after the Pettis County Sheriff's Office received a report relayed by the Warrensburg Police Department alleging sexual misconduct against a minor under 15, according to the Sedalia Democrat. Warrensburg sits in neighboring Johnson County, meaning the case crossed jurisdictional lines before landing with Pettis County deputies. Per KRCG, a girl under 15 reported that Ritzo had abused her, and Ritzo was ultimately held in the Pettis County Jail.
A second, separate report followed in June 2026, when another person told authorities they had found Ritzo with his pants down in a child's bedroom, KRCG reports. Court records reviewed by the Sedalia Democrat indicate the two witness reports, from May and June, described separate incidents.
Ritzo's Account During Interrogation
During an interrogation with Pettis County deputies on Wednesday, Ritzo claimed the minor victim may have seen him exposed while changing with an open door or while he was wearing ill-fitting shorts, and he suggested she might have touched him while playing, according to the Sedalia Democrat's report. He denied any forced sexual contact, the outlet notes.
Ritzo consented to a search of his cell phone during that interview. On Thursday, detectives examined the device and, per KRCG, found nine images of child sexual abuse material on it. The Sedalia Democrat reports the forensic analysis also uncovered 14 links to explicit online content. Ritzo was then detained on $100,000 bond ahead of a court hearing scheduled for Tuesday, August 25.
Charges and Potential Sentencing
Ritzo has been charged with sexual misconduct involving a child under 15, statutory sodomy or deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 12 years of age, and possession of child pornography, according to KRCG. Under Missouri Revised Statutes § 566.062, first-degree statutory sodomy involving a victim under 14 is a Class A felony carrying a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, with a maximum of life imprisonment, since Missouri law considers minors under 14 legally incapable of giving consent.
Separately, Missouri Revised Statutes § 573.037 classifies possession of a single still image of child sexual abuse material as a Class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, but that classification escalates to a Class B felony if an offender possesses more than 20 images or any video files. With nine images reported in Ritzo's case, the specific felony classification tied to the possession charge will depend on how prosecutors and the court characterize the material found.
A Small Town Under Scrutiny
La Monte, where Ritzo lives, is a small municipality in Pettis County about 11 miles northwest of Sedalia, with a population of 1,014 recorded in the 2020 U.S. Census, covering roughly 1.1 square miles along Missouri Route 127. Ritzo's case will proceed through Missouri's 18th Judicial Circuit, which sits at the Pettis County Courthouse in Sedalia and handles felony prosecutions originating in the county alongside juvenile matters across Pettis and Cooper counties.
Digital forensic work in cases involving online child exploitation material is often supported statewide by the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which coordinates digital forensics across more than 90 affiliated law enforcement agencies under federal and state cybercrime funding. Similar cases have surfaced elsewhere in the region this year: in an Owensville case, a man was jailed on the same $100,000 bond after a phone search turned up 13 files of child sexual abuse material, while a St. Clair man was charged in July with statutory sodomy involving a victim under 12 and held without bond as detectives reviewed digital evidence.
Open questions remain in Ritzo's case, including whether additional forensic extraction of the 14 web links found on his phone will lead to further charges before his hearing, and whether a bond reduction will be sought before then. All allegations against Ritzo remain unproven accusations pending adjudication in court.
