East Prairie man charged with soliciting teen

BENTON, Mo. -- An East Prairie, Missouri, man has been charged with attempted solicitation of a 15-year-old girl.

Brian Burney, 26, is charged with felony misrepresentation of age with the intent to solicit a minor.

At approximately 7:20 p.m. Friday, Scott County deputy John Caudle responded to Route ZZ for a report of a juvenile female attempting to run away. The juvenile's guardian said the young woman had been in contact with Burney via Facebook and Outlook SMS texting, according to a news release from Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter.

"A review of the electronic devices by Deputy Caudle revealed several inappropriate and graphically explicit messages," Walter said in a news release.

The deputy, assisted by other Scott County deputies and officers from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, found Burney near Sikeston High School. He was arrested and taken to the Scott County Jail.