6th family member charged with rape in western Missouri child sex abuse case, arrested in Fla.

6th relative arrested in Mo. child sex abuse case

LEXINGTON, Mo. — Authorities say a sixth member of a family facing child sex abuse charges in western Missouri has been arrested in Florida.

Darrel Wayne Mohler of Silver Springs, Fla., was charged Friday with two counts of rape stemming from 1986.

Marion County, Fla., jail official Kim Krause says the 72-year-old is being held at the jail Friday evening.

Five other members of the Mohler family were charged earlier this week with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.

The others charged include Darrel Mohler’s 77-year-old brother and four adult nephews.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

LEXINGTON, Mo. (AP) — A man who had called child sex abuse allegations against his brother and four nephews “repulsive” was charged Friday with raping two children, and Missouri authorities said they expected more charges against the family in the case.

Darrel Wayne Mohler, 72, of Silver Springs, Fla., was charged Friday with two counts of forcible rape stemming from 1986, according to court documents. He was charged in Lafayette County, Mo., but authorities said he was not in custody.

“I don’t believe he’s on the run, and I urge him to turn himself in so I can talk to him,” Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said at an evening news conference. Alumbaugh did not say what efforts were under way to arrest Mohler.

Five other members of the Mohler family were charged earlier this week with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape with a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.

When asked to comment on the case Thursday before he was charged, Darrel W. Mohler told The Associated Press from his home in Florida that he found the reports of child abuse “unspeakable.”

“I can’t think of words that would put this in perspective. I find it repulsive if it’s true,” he said.

Mohler said he was a disabled veteran suffering from various ailments, including lung disease. He did not immediately return calls Friday seeking comment on the charges.

The other men charged in the case are Darrel W. Mohler’s brother, Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence and his four adult sons: Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.

The probable cause statement against Darrel W. Mohler accuses him of raping two children between the ages of 5 and 9 at an abandoned house in Bates City. The statement alleges that after Mohler left the children, Burrell Mohler Sr. came to the room and warned them to “be careful because waterbeds were known to pop and they might drown in their sleep.”

Darrel W. Mohler said Thursday that he never had been close to his older brother Burrell and was “appalled by the allegations.” He said he has a 16-year-old granddaughter “and that’d be like me messing with her, and the thought is repulsive. I’m glad I don’t have that gene, God darn.”

On Thursday, police also arrested a man they identified as an “associate” of the Mohler family and possible suspect, but did not charge him. He has been released.

The original complaint in the case includes allegations — of bestiality, forcing children into fake marriages with relatives and making an 11-year-old have an abortion — that date from 1988 to 1995. The Associated Press is not revealing details that could identify victims of sexual abuse.

The men have not entered pleas and did not have lawyers listed with the court clerk’s office. The five Mohler men from Missouri have been held on cash bonds ranging from $30,000 to $75,000. Their next court hearing is Tuesday.

Alumbaugh also said Friday that a search on a 55-acre property formerly owned by family members was completed and that he expected additional charges against the suspects.

Alumbaugh had said earlier that investigators were focusing on the property outside Bates City, about 30 miles east of Kansas City, because there was “an indication that there are body or bodies in numerous locations.” He did not elaborate.

Investigators also said they were searching for glass jars buried on the property and containing notes, written by children, about the alleged abuse. Adults allegedly told children to write down bad memories and bury them there and “the memories would go away,” said Sgt. Collin Stosberg, spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Neither Alumbaugh nor Stosberg would not comment about any evidence that may have been found in the search.