Cape man arrested for obscene offer, endangering child

A Cape Girardeau man faces charges of patronizing prostitution, possession of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child after police said he offered money for sex acts to an undercover officer via e-mail.

Andrew Gene Shain, 23, of 302 N. Middle St., was arrested at his home Saturday, said Cape Girardeau police spokesman Jason Selzer. The arrest was in response to an investigation of a note left on the car of a woman who is Shain's neighbor.

In the note, police said Shain claimed to represent a modeling agency and wanted to take photographs of the woman to get her some modeling jobs. The neighbor took the note to police.

Selzer said police then set up an e-mail account. An officer contacted Shain by e-mail pretending to be the neighbor, and said she wasn't interested but that she had a friend who was. That "friend" was an undercover police officer. Shain offered the officer money for sexual acts.

When police went to his home Saturday to arrest him on a warrant for the class B misdemeanor of patronizing prostitution, the house had electrical cords strewn about and moldy food on the floor, police said. Shain had a 15-month-old baby living in the house, so he was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.

Police also found marijuana on the premises. Shain was charged with a class A misdemeanor for drug possession.

Both class A misdemeanors carry a maximum sentence of a year in county jail and a $5,000 fine. The class B misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $500 fine.

Shain posted a $5,000 bond and will appear Thursday before Judge Gary Kamp.

msanders@semissourian.com

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