Man arrested on charges he molested girl under 10 in Cape Girardeau County

A St. James, Mo., man faces charges of statutory sodomy in Cape Girardeau County for allegedly molesting a child under the age of 10.

Raymond M. Ressel, 29, of St. James, known as "Mike," was arrested Friday by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

The incident that led to the charges occurred on March 8 at an event in Cape Girardeau County, the child's mother told investigators.

The child's mother told sheriff's deputies that no one witnessed the incident, but she questioned her daughter after learning she'd been alone with Ressel.

The child victim reported that Ressel had put his hand down her pants and molested her, scratching her skin and leaving a "red" mark.

Ressel voluntarily went to the sheriff's department to take a polygraph, according to the sworn statement.

"There were definite indications of deceptiveness when Ressel answered 'no' to his three pertinent questions," Malugen wrote.

After the polygraph, Ressel admitted to molesting the child, saying he realized it was wrong after he'd begun.

He also told investigators he'd been drinking and taking medication at the time.