PACIFIC, Mo. — Authorities believe there may be more victims after a former employee with the Meramec Valley R-III School District was charged with multiple child sex crimes.
Dustin J. Cowsert was charged on Aug. 15 with two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of each second-degree statutory rape, enticement or attempted enticement of a child, sexual contact with a student and sexual misconduct. He was was indicted Friday by a grand jury and is being held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.
Charging documents said the alleged crimes happened between Nov. 1, 2022, and May 21, 2023, when he was employed for the school district.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office said in a Wednesday update that two more people have since come forward about their involvement with Cowsert, and police are also considering them to be victims.
"It is possible there are more victims," the sheriff's office said in a post on its Facebook page. Anyone who wants to make a report is asked to contact them at 636-583-2560.
The school district said Cowsert, a coach at Riverbend Middle School, was placed on leave prior to the school year and has since been terminated.
The Meramec Valley R-III School District released the following statement:
The District was recently notified of allegations of misconduct by a former district employee and is cooperating fully with law enforcement to address the situation. The former employee was placed on leave prior to the start of school and has since been terminated. Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority. We condemn this alleged conduct and want to reassure the community that such behavior is completely contrary to the values of our school community. We have policies in place to prevent and address this type of misconduct, and we are following these policies in investigating and addressing this situation. We remain dedicated to providing safe environments for learning and student success.
