ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — A St. Peters daycare employee was charged Tuesday with child sex crimes involving two victims, including a child who attended the daycare where he worked.
St. Charles County prosecutors charged Rudolf Hlavaty, 19, with second-degree child molestation and promoting a sexual performance by a child. Each charge is a felony.
The charges were filed as the result of an ongoing investigation by the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force.
The St. Charles County Police Department said the task force began investigating Hlavaty after receiving a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The tip was designated as an "elevated priority" due to Hlavaty stating in a chat conversation that he worked at a daycare, police said.
Using information gathered from the tip, investigators learned Hlavaty was using his cell phone on the daycare's WiFi. Police subpoenaed the IP address used and were able to identify the daycare.
Investigators then immediately went to the daycare and took Hlavaty into custody.
Police said Hlavaty admitted during questioning to having child sexual abuse material stored on his phone and to sexually abusing a child at the daycare.
According to court documents, between Nov. 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024, Hlavaty made sexual contact with a child less than 12 years old. During the same time period, police said Hlavaty directed another adult to have a child under the age of 17 perform a sex act on the adult.
The second adult was not named in court documents; police said their involvement was part of the ongoing investigation.
Hlavaty was being held without bond at the St. Charles County Corrections Department.
