Judge says no bond for Carthage man charged with sexually exploiting underage Michigan girl

A Carthage man will remain in the Greene County Jail while awaiting trial on a charge of sexually exploiting an underage girl.

A judge issued the order today following a September 1 detention hearing for Charles Ward Kuentzel, 25, in U. S. District Court in Springfield.

Regarding potential danger to the community, the Court notes the nature of the instant offense and that the pending charge involves a child, use of a computer to facilitate the alleged offense, and a sex offense. The Court further notes defendant’s criminal history which includes prior arrests and conviction and a charge involving violence. Based on all the foregoing, the Court finds by finds by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is a danger to the community.

According to the probable cause affidavit, law enforcement's trail to Kuentzel began with a report from the mother of a Canton, Michigan girl who told police her daughter was involved in an inappropriate online relationship with an adult male and provided screenshots in which the man's face was visible.

In an interview with the FBI, the child said they had begun their chats at around the start of the 2020-2021 school year and the chats later took a sexual turn and the two began showing each other "different parts of our bodies."

Jane Doe identified the photos of the redheaded Kuentzel as the man she knew as "Charlie." The photos included photos of his genital area which also featured red hair. She also identified her own photos.

Federal agents conducted a search warrant of Kuentzel's home on Pine Street in Carthage August 18 and confiscated his cell phone, which contained the same photos the FBI had been investigating.

A search of Kuentzel's criminal history revealed an earlier incident in which he had been involved with an underage child.

His criminal history included a 2018 arrest for kidnapping out of Jasper County, Missouri, a 2018 arrest for unlawful restraint out of the Wheeler County, Texas Sheriff's Office and a 2018 guilty plea to harboring a runaway child in the 31st District in Texas.