Four charged with assault after child taken from home

Four people are facing charges after an incident involving a toddler being taken from a home.

Megan Kaempher, 25, Caleb Koeppel, 26, and Justin Statler, 31, all of Jackson, and Kylie Koeppel, 30, of Oak Ridge are charged with one count each of felony first-degree burglary and one count of misdemeanor third-degree assault for allegedly striking the child's father with their hands and feet and spraying him with pepper spray.

At approximately 8 p.m. Sunday, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department received a call from a resident on Lindsey Lane east of Fruitland just off Highway 177, saying three people broke into his home, assaulted him and took his 1-year-old son.

Justin Statler

Caleb Koeppel

Sheriff's deputies and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers responded, and the child was quickly recovered at his mother's home.

A female friend of the mother solicited the help of two men, according to Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department Capt. David James. The mother was not involved in the break in, he said.

The incident was classified as a domestic incident with others solicited to aid in the abduction of the child.

James said formal custody has not been set for the child at this time.

The three alleged assailants and mother remain incarcerated in the Cape Girardeau County Justice Center. The victim was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and released.

Bail has been set at $25,000 each, with additional charges that could be filed at a later time.

smaue@semissourian.com

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