NEWS RELEASE

For further information please contact: Sergeant Brent J. Bernhardt
(660) 385-2132
B08036
March 26, 2008

EMPHASIS: Macon, Missouri, Resident Arrested For Sending Pornographic Material To A Minor


On March 25, 2008, at approximately 12:23 p.m., Robert W. Whitezell, 25, of Macon, Missouri, was arrested for three counts of furnishing pornographic material to a minor. Whitezell was taken to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department where he was incarcerated and held on a $5,000 cash only bond.
On February 27, 2008, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper received a complaint from a Shelby County resident that Whitezell had sent pornographic material, via the Internet, to their 14-year-old daughter. On March 6, 2008, as a result of the complaint, members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation served a search warrant at Whitezell’s residence in Macon, Missouri.
The charges for which Whitezell was arrested are mere accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
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