ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis man is behind bars and accused of having an inappropriate sexual relationship with children. The St. Louis County prosecutor believes the same man could be behind even more similar offenses.
37-year-old Leon Bell of St. Louis is spending the night in jail on serious accusations he sexually molested two 11-year-old girls.
"When we see a young person that is victimized by an adult, those are despicable acts,” Prosecutor Wesley Bell said.
The prosecutor's office says Leon Bell sent a Facebook message saying ''I molested a child. It's the worst thing I have done in my whole life.''
It’s why Wesley Bell is asking the public to come forward if anyone knows of additional cases the suspect may be responsible for.
"Oftentimes, what we find is that offenders who commit these kinds of acts, they've done it before,” Wesley Bell said.
Although it can be hard, child abuse experts, like Amy Robins with the Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri, say coming forward is one of the best things a victim can do —even if they're too afraid to tell a parent.
"That can be a friend's parent. That can be a counselor, their favorite teacher at school, their coach, their pastor,” Robins said. "As long as they tell someone."
Sexual abuse is one of the most common cases her organization sees.
"Those boundaries are broken, and it’s typically by someone they like, love, or deal with," Robins said. "It's not a stranger and that really sets the stage for every relationship moving on in their life."
It's why she says children in these situations must be believed and should get support to avoid the pitfalls that come far too often.
"(Victims can) end up in jail, have an eating disorder, take and engage in substance abuse...," she said.
It's human nature for adults to be in denial when faced with the sexual abuse of their children, Robins said. Some adults may not believe victims.
"They may have to tell more than one adult in order to seek the help they really need," Robins said.
Leon Bell is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. He’s charged with four counts of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy with a person less than 12 years of age, four counts of child molestation in the 2nd degree with a child less than 12 years of age, and statutory rape or attempted statutory rape with a person less than 12 years of age.
If you know of any other offenses Bell might be linked to, you're asked to call the police.
Missouri’s Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline is manned 24 hours a day. Just call 1-800-392-3738 if you need to report abuse.
The Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri also has an emergency line: (636) 332-0545.
