A Grain Valley police officer, identified as August Gildehaus, has been accused of numerous offenses, including statutory rape, after admitting to having sex with a minor he met online.
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Who is August P. Gildehaus?
August P. Gildehaus is a 27-year-old Grain Valley police officer. He has been charged with first-degree sodomy, sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, and three counts of second-degree statutory rape.
A probable cause report from MSHP claims that Gildehaus used the alias Austin Sims when interacting with the victim on websites like Omegle and Discord. The probable cause statement claims that Gildehaus knew the victim was under the age of 17, and he nonetheless continued to have sexually explicit chats with her.
The prosecutor’s office claims that the Grain Valley, Missouri Police Chief contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol to inquire into claims that an officer was involved in sexual activities with a minor in 2022 and 2023.
The request was made in response to a missing child who later came home and informed her parents that she had been having sex with adult men. The victim said that one of the males was Austin Sims, a police officer.
The victim was informed by police that Austin Sims was not an officer employed by the GVPD. After looking through images posted on the department’s Facebook page, the victim’s family recognized “Austin Sims” as Officer August Gildehaus.
The victim was able to identify Gildehaus, describe distinguishing tattoos on him, particularly one of a skyline on his arm, and provide information about his birthday and one of his children’s names.
According to reports, Gildehaus acknowledged having repeated sexually explicit interactions with the girl while being aware that she was under the age of 17. He also acknowledged using the alias Austin Smith to hide his identity.
Gildehaus has now been put on paid administrative leave in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Police Officers Bill of Rights, according to a statement from the City of Grain Valley.
