Poplar Bluff man charged with sexual assault of teen

A Poplar Bluff man charged with raping and sodomizing a teenager over a nearly two-year period continues to be held in the Butler County jail on a $200,000 cash bond.

Chavez

Robert Allen Chavez, 46, was charged Wednesday with six unclassified felonies of first-degree statutory sodomy, the Class B felony of first-degree child molestation, one unclassified felony of first-degree rape and three Class C felonies of second-degree statutory rape by Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor.

Chavez is to appear at 9 a.m. Monday before Associate Circuit Judge C. Wade Pierce for arraignment on his charges.

The charges stem from an investigation, which began in late July 2014, after a call was made to the Child Abuse and Neglect hotline, and Missouri Children’s Division personnel contacted the Butler County Sheriff’s Department about the caller’s allegations.

According to then Butler County Investigator Tim Davis’ probable-cause statement, the allegations were Chavez sexually assaulted a Poplar Bluff teenager, starting when she was 13 in October 2012 and continuing through June 30, 2014.

During his investigation, Davis said, he conducted a video-recorded interview with the then 15-year-old teen who alleged the abuse initially occurred at Chavez’s home in the 4800 block of Highway T and began with fondling.

In December 2012, the teen reported to Davis that Chavez and she performed alleged sexual acts on each other.

Davis said the teen further alleged sexual intercourse and deviant sexual intercourse began in March 2013 when she 13 years old.

After the first alleged instance of sexual intercourse, the teen reported “Robert went and got a package with a pill in it that was a morning-after pill,” Davis said. “She stated that she took it because she did not want to get pregnant.

“(She) states that on one other occasion when Robert Chavez did not use a condom; he brought her a pregnancy test.”

The alleged abuse, Davis said, occurred at Chavez’s home until late February, 2014, when he allegedly told the teen “it would be best if she didn’t come” to his home because his wife was “jealous, and it was causing trouble …”

After Chavez told his alleged victim about his wife’s suspicions, he allegedly started coming to the teen’s Poplar Bluff home, beginning in March 2014, Davis said.

“(She) states that Robert Chavez would come to her house during the weekdays while her mother … was at work,” Davis said. “(She) states that he began coming to her house, where they would have sexual intercourse and (deviant) sex in her bedroom.

“(She) stated that the last time she and Robert Chavez had sexual intercourse” was on June 30, 2014, when she was 15.

In a report written by David in August 2014, he said, Chavez, who was told of his rights, was interviewed at the sheriff’s department.

After being told of the allegations against him, Davis said, Chavez “denied having any sexual relationship with (the teen) … Mr. Chavez states that he has not had any sexual contact of any type with (the teen) (but) that there were occasions he would give her a hug or she would give him a hug.”

Chavez, Davis said, alleged the teen had done “some inappropriate things in front of him” on two occasions.

According to further reports written by Davis, he also interviewed Chavez’s wife, as well as other members of his family, all of whom alleged inappropriate behavior on the teen’s part.

As part of the investigation, Davis said, the teen’s cellphone was taken to the SEMO Cyber Crimes Task Force at the Poplar Bluff Police Department, where an analysis was conducted to retrieve text messages between the teen and Chavez.

After reading the text messages retrieved by now retired Detective Greg Brainard from the teen’s phone “in which she and Robert Chavez are texting one another from … April 14, 2014, through July 3, 2014,” Davis said, “it becomes very apparent and obvious that (the teen) and Robert Chavez are talking about sex, about when and if it would be clear to come to her house to have sex and discussing what Robert Chavez wanted her to be wearing when he got there.”

The messages, Davis said, also allegedly included a request from the teen asking Chavez to bring her a pregnancy test.

Chavez’s response, according to Davis, indicated he would text the teen to “‘find out what time we can meet or where I (Chavez) can hide one (pregnancy test) for you to get …’”

Davis said it was his opinion the statements made by the teen concerning her alleged sexual relationship with Chavez are “factual and true.”

“There is no reason to believe that the victim … is fabricating any story concerning her and Robert Chavez(’s) sexual relationship, due to the aforementioned text messages, which clearly shows a history of what the relationship between (them) was,” Davis said.

When Chavez was interviewed, Davis said, he denied having ever gone to the teen’s home.

“In the text messages, he repeatedly tells (her) that he is coming over to see her at her house and asked when can he come by her house,” Davis said.

In an interview with the teen’s mother, Davis said, he was told she learned of the alleged abuse around July 26, 2014, while she and her daughter were on the road traveling back to Poplar Bluff.

During one of their conversations, the teen, according to her mother’s statement, told her she had been raped and identified Chavez as the alleged perpetrator.

Davis said the woman subsequently sought counseling for her daughter.

Information provided by the licensed clinical psychologist, who evaluated and counseled the teen, indicated it was “very apparent that what (the teen) had told her concerning events involving suspect, Robert Chavez, are true, and that there is no evidence indicated that (the teen) is being anything but truthful in her assertions,” Davis said.

The psychologist, Davis said, reported that “based on her years of experience working with children and trauma victims, it is her professional opinion that (the teen) is giving an honest and truthful account of the events regarding her and Robert Chavez.”