A Fort Leonard Wood soldier is facing multiple felony charges after police say he was found with a missing 14-year-old girl and admitted to having sexual contact with her.
Juan Cabrer-Matias, an active duty Army soldier assigned to Fort Leonard Wood, was arrested Sunday and formally charged Monday in Pulaski County with Second-Degree Statutory Rape, Sexual Misconduct Involving a Child Under 15, and Fourth-Degree Child Molestation.
According to court records, officers from the St. Robert Police Department and Fort Leonard Wood’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID) were working together to locate a missing teenager who had disappeared from Independence, Missouri, on May 9.
Investigators say they located the girl inside Cabrer-Matias’s vehicle. During an interview, the teen initially claimed she had told Cabrer-Matias she was 18. However, after disclosing her true age was 14, court documents state the soldier continued to engage in sexual contact with her between May 9 and August 3.
Although the teen reportedly told investigators they did not have sexual intercourse after Cabrer-Matias learned she was underage, the charges reflect that other forms of sexual contact allegedly occurred during that time.
Cabrer-Matias is being held in the Pulaski County Jail on a $75,000 bond. He was arraigned Tuesday, with a bond review hearing scheduled for August 12.
As of this report, Fort Leonard Wood officials have not issued a public statement regarding the soldier’s arrest or current duty status. The investigation is ongoing.
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