Missouri man arrested and charged with child sex crimes

WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. (WTAP) - A Missouri man is facing multiple charges related to child exploitation after West Virginia authorities say he engaged in a months-long sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl he met on social media.

William Lee Santos, 38, of Webb City, Missouri, was arrested Feb. 5 by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and extradited to West Virginia on Feb. 17.

The investigation began Jan. 4 when Williamstown Police responded to the West Virginia Welcome Center regarding a missing 16-year-old female.

Officers located the juvenile inside the cab of a tractor-trailer operated by Santos.

The initial investigation revealed Santos had met the juvenile on a social media platform and had begun a sexual relationship with her that had been ongoing for several months.

Santos would arrange meetings with the juvenile while traveling through the area, park his tractor-trailer at the Welcome Center, unload a vehicle he was hauling, and then travel to pick up the juvenile female.

Williamstown officers seized a cell phone belonging to Santos.

The juvenile was returned to her parents, and Santos was released pending further investigation.

The Williamstown Police Department contacted Parkersburg Police Detective D.W. Miller, who is attached to the FBI and West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The juvenile female was interviewed at the North Star Child Advocacy Center, and Detective Miller obtained a search warrant for the cell phone seized from Santos.

The search revealed Santos would arrive in Williamstown, unload a vehicle from his trailer, pick up the juvenile female and travel to Marietta, Ohio where he would engage in sexual activities with the juvenile.

Detective Miller located numerous videos on the cellular device where Santos had allegedly recorded the sexual activities between him and the juvenile female, which he stored on his phone.

Detective Miller obtained a warrant on Santos for 11 counts of Distribution and Exhibiting Sexually Explicit Child Pornography and one count of Soliciting a Minor.

Detectives requested the assistance of the United States Marshals Service in locating Santos. Santos was arrested by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and placed in the Murray County, Oklahoma County Jail, where Santos later waived extradition back to West Virginia.

He was arraigned in Wood County Magistrate Court, where bond was set at $450,000.

Santos failed to post bond and was placed in the North Central Regional Jail.

Detective Miller is also working with the Marietta Police Department, where additional charges may be filed.

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