A 32-year-old Whitewater man sits in Cape Girardeau County Jail facing three charges of first-degree statutory rape.

Dale Wayne Gooch, 6260 Route U, is accused of having sex with a 6-year-old girl. According to a probable-cause statement by Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department detective James Malugen, Gooch admitted he molested the girl but said he wasn't sure if intercourse occurred. The molestation took place over several encounters, Gooch is quoted as saying, from October to December.

Gooch's computer was taken from his home as part of the investigation. Malugen said in the probable-cause statement that those familiar with Gooch told him Gooch had a history of possessing child pornography on his computer.

Gooch is being held on a $250,000 bond.

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