Ava, MO. – A Springfield man was arrested in Ava on Friday and is accused of attempting to meet a minor for sexual acts.
Joseph R. Brown, age 38, is charged with 2nd-degree attempted statutory rape, 2nd-degree attempted statutory sodomy, possession of a controlled substance, and 1st-degree sexual misconduct.
According to the probable cause statement, the Ava Police Department received information from the Alliance Against Childhood Exploitation that Brown had started having sexual conversations with a decoy he believed was a 14-year-old girl beginning October 18, 2023.
Messages between the decoy and Brown revealed the suspect sending sexually explicit photos of himself and asking the decoy if she drinks or does drugs. He also sent messages of sexual acts he would like to do with the decoy.
The Ava Police with the assistance of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office arranged a meeting with the decoy and Brown at the lower park tennis court in Ava on the morning of Oct. 27. The officers spotted Brown and took him into custody.
A search of the suspect revealed a belly band that contained a pipe that field tested positive for methamphetamine.
Joseph Brown is held in the Douglas County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond.
