Jefferson City man charged with sex crimes and child abduction

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged Thursday with a sex crime against a child and other offenses.

Jermaine Brannon was charged with first-degree kidnapping, third-degree domestic violence and enticement of a child by a person over 21 years of age with a child under 15 years of age. He is being held without bail in the Cole County Jail. A court date has not yet been set.

According to the probable cause affidavit, a victim spoke to the Cole County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday about Brannon's sexual abuse of a child. The victim was allegedly contacted by a family member of Brannon, who showed text messages from the child describing the sexual abuse by Brannon, the affidavit states.

In addition, there were two phone recordings in which Brannon and the child could be heard during a sexual assault, court documents show. One text message allegedly showed Brannon begging the child not to tell anyone about the assault.

After the person who spoke to the officers left the sheriff's office, he met with Brannon, court documents say. Brannon then ordered the child and the person who spoke to the officers to leave with him and threatened to attack the two if they did not.