Man allegedly tells an underage girl he will rape her if she doesn’t send nude photos

Ethan Brown, 20, of Theodosia, has been held in the Ozark County Jail without bond since his arrest May 30 after he allegedly told a minor girl that he would rape her if she did not send him nude photographs of herself. He is scheduled to appear in court today for a bond appearance hearing on the charges of attempted sexual trafficking of a child under 18 and harassment before Associate Judge Raymond Gross. Public defender Chase Opolka is representing him in the case. 

According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Sheriff’s Deputy James Fountain, the officer received a call from the OCSD dispatch office around 11 p.m. May 28, explaining that a caller had reported that Brown had said harassing statements to a minor girl. 

The reporting party said that around 10 p.m. Brown approached several minors who were swimming in Bull Shoals Lake in Theodosia and relaxing at the campground, the report says. 

“Ethan asked the kids to send him nude photos and to give him their phone numbers, and they declined his advances. After being declined, Ethan told one of the juvenile females that if she didn’t do what he said, he was going to rape her,” the officer’s report says. 

A juvenile male who was there reportedly overheard Brown’s threats and stood up for the girl. In response, Brown reportedly “tried to swing on him and missed.” An employee of a nearby business saw what was happening and stopped the interaction before a fight broke out. The entire group was asked to leave for the afternoon. 

After returning home, the girl told her father about the interaction. The father called the sheriff’s department and said he would like to pursue charges and a restraining order against Brown as soon as possible.