Baxter Springs man arrested for soliciting sex with Joplin minor

Area pools ready for plunge; Schifferdecker opening still to be announced

Though this week’s mild temperatures may not signal swim season, most area pools are ready anyway. And, the mercury should rise a little this weekend to help those anxious to dive in. Highs will be in the low 80s today and Sunday. There is a chance for isolated thunderstorms on Monday, but the thermometer should hit 82 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Crime & Courts

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December 19, 2012

Baxter Springs man arrested for soliciting sex with Joplin minor

Anonymous From staff reports The Joplin Globe Wed Dec 19, 2012, 03:59 PM CST

JOPLIN, Mo. — A Baxter Springs, Kan., man was sentenced in federal court today to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole for attempting to entice a Joplin minor to engage in illegal sexual activity in Leonard Park.

Ronald J. Byler, 24, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Dorr, according to David Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

According to court documents, the mother of a 13-year-old Joplin girl was checking her child’s cell phone messages in August 2012 and found text messages of a sexual nature from Byler, who also had asked the girl to send him nude images of herself.

The girl met Byler earlier in the summer while she was performing community service at the Joplin Disabled Americans Veterans Thrift store, where he was employed.

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