Story Published:
Apr 27, 2009 at 9:23 PM CST
Story Updated:
Apr 29, 2009 at 10:43 AM CST
MARSHFIELD, Mo. -- A man from Fordland is accused of raping a 9-year-old family friend. Joshua Lankford, 19, is charged with statutory rape, sodomy, and child molestation.
Investigators believe Lankford sexually assaulted a girl from Fordland on several occasions while he was 17 and 18 years old. The Webster County Sheriff's Department started its investigation after what they call an "accidental disclosure."
Detectives say the girl told a friend, who told a DARE officer, who told investigators. Court documents show the girl says the abuse happened over a two-year period.
