Diamond Police Detective Jim Murray says he posed as a 13-year-old girl named Cindy and was approached by a man who used the screen name duke dukeadk on Nov. 15 about noon in an online chat room.

"I just said, 'Here's my email address,' and he continued chatting,” said Murray.

Murray says Kauffman discussed meeting her to take nude photos and to have sex. Over the course of seven conversations during the past two months, transcripts show each chat was sexually graphic. Murray say Kauffman recognized the girl’s age, and even showed some hesitation, teasing the girl about whether she could be a cop.

Police say Kauffman repeatedly asked the girl to use a webcam, and didn't wait long to use his. The detective saved some photos from a webcam on Kauffman's computer in his home in Collins.

"After he raised his shirt up, patted himself on his chest, the lower part of his stomach, he encouraged the girl to get a camera so she could see more,” said Murray.

Murray, posing as the teen girl, mentioned she wouldn't want her mom to find the pictures. Police say Kauffman said they'd be just for him.

"If they induce, entice, encourage someone under 15 to engage in sexual conduct, than it is illegal,” said Murray.

Court documents detail messages in which duke dukeak asked Cin whether she is a virgin, discussed masturbation, kissing, nude photos and having sexual intercourse, having a meeting for the purpose of sexual gratification.

On Jan. 11, the Diamond detective and his police chief, along with the St. Clair County sheriff and a St. Clair County sheriff's detective, went to Kauffman's home and interviewed Collins.

"Kauffman had a vague memory about chatting with Cin or cindyndiamond. He stated that he did not know if they ever discussed her age," Murray wrote. "He said that he possibly asked her 'would you like to play with me.' . . . He denied ever exposing his chest and stomach and saying to her, 'theres more when you get a cam.' He did not remember encouraging her to have sex with another girl on a webcam so that he could watch.

"When confronted with the November 16 chat with Cin and with 5 screen shots of him on his webcam, he stated that he had made a stupid mistake and wished to apologize to the girl and to her parents. He wrote an apology: 'to Cindy's mom & Dad. If I have caused a problem with this I appoligize & If I see her name I will take it off & never use It again. Again I'm truly sorry of any problems.'

"Kauffman asked if there was any way that he could make all this go away because he was a pastor of the Temple Lot Church in Collins, Mayor of Collins, his wife worked at the courthouse in Osceola, and he had children and grandchildren and he did not want the community to hear about it," Murray wrote.

After Kauffman was arrested last Friday, the detective interviewed him again and finished his report.

"I inquired why he chatted with Cindy and made such vulgar requests and statements to her and he stated, 'I was stupid. I will never do it again.'"

Diamond is about 10 miles southeast of Joplin. Diamond police frequently conduct Internet stings to try to catch online predators. Murray says the investigations have resulted in charges against about 20 people over the past five years.

Collins is a village of about 200 people on Missouri 13 at U.S. 54 about 55 miles northwest of Springfield. Collins City Clerk Pam Myers knows Kauffman as a friend and co-worker.

"He's been a pillar for the community,” she said.

For Myers and others, Kauffman is a mayor, a pastor of Temple Lot Church, a husband, a stepfather, and a person no one thinks is capable of such a disturbing crime.

"I think everybody's still just trying to process it,” said Myers.

As city clerk, Myers says she's doing all she can to keep things running business as usual.

"That doesn't mean that I'm not concerned about the allegations. That's a huge concern. And it's sad because I consider Allen my friend,” said Myers.

Associate Circuit Judge Gregory Stremel set Kauffman's bond at $50,000 after he was arrested on Friday. He made his first court appearance on Monday, and his attorney filed a motion for a reduction in his bond. Stremel scheduled a hearing on the motion for Feb. 20.

Editor's note: Officially, Kauffman's title under state law, since Collins is a village, is chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Myers' title is clerk of the Board of Trustees. Myers says, however, everyone in town refers to him as mayor and to her as city clerk.