'Inappropriate contact' with 11-year-old girl alleged
By Allen Edmonds
A candidate for Belton City Council is on diversion in Belton Municipal Court for harassment in connection with an 11-year-old girl that he came in contact with while substitute teaching in the Belton School District. in February 2020.
And two weeks ago, Skyler Kee, 24, was ticketed by the Missouri State Highway Patrol for allegedly driving 94 miles per hour on U.S. 50 Highway in Johnson County west of Warrensburg.
Kee is running for Stephanie Davidson’s Ward 3 Council seat against Allyson Lawson. Davidson is not running for re-election because she is running for mayor instead.
According to an incident report filed by the Belton Police Department on Feb. 14, 2020, the foster parent of the child told officers that during the time Kee was working as a substitute teacher at Mill Creek Elementary School on Feb. 12, he looked up the child’s schedule and visited her on a recess.
She said he told the 11-year-old, whom Kee said was a “non-blood family member” that he “had not seen” in a while, that he would be his teacher for Technology class that day.
The woman told police that during that class, Kee spent “majority of the class sitting and talking with” the girl. She said he showed the girl his residence, and her residence on Google Earth, and made a comment about “their residences being very close.”
She told officers the school had been made aware of the incident.
She said that two days later, the day of the report, that he attempted to call the foster parent and FaceTime her, then showed up at her work, Belton Head Start, and was asked to leave, which he did, she said.
She told police Kee then sent her a text message stating they needed to talk, minutes later.
She told police she was worried for her safety and for the safety of the child, and wanted no contact with Kee. She also said she wanted no contact between Kee and the child.
Kee told officers that he had not seen the child in a while when he saw her while working at the school.
He said he obtained consent from the teachers to speak with the child, and that when he tapped her on the shoulder, the child “took notice of him and became happy, giving him a hug,” the report said.
He told officers that the Technology class that day was a “controlled free play day,” when students could play on a number of approved websites.
He said he sat with the child and “spoke with her about how she was doing,” and “told (her) about new things going on in his life. The arrestee stated before he knew it, the class was over,” the report said. He told officers he wrote down his email address and phone number on a sticky note, giving it to the child.
In the report, the officer said he asked Kee if what appeared to be a 23-year-old male party giving an 11-year-old female party his contact information “sounded inappropriate to him, which he agreed it did.”
The report said Kee told the officer he had received a phone call from the school about the incident on Feb. 14, and “believed the incident was being blown out of proportion and wanted to speak with (the foster mother) about the incident.”
He said he got the foster mother’s phone number from her sister, who is the child’s mother.
The foster mother did not answer, so Kee told the officer he called the mother and told her he “really needed to speak with” the foster mother. The mother suggested he go by the foster mother’s work, Kee told police.
He would not clarify how he knew the foster mother worked at Belton Head Start, the report said.
He said he was let inside, but when he identified himself and asked to speak to the foster mother, he was asked to leave, which he did, he told police.
He admitted that he sent the foster mother a text message after leaving Head Start.
Police said the foster mother wanted Kee prosecuted for harassment. He turned himself in and after being charged and processed, was released on $100 bond. He agreed to diversion, which, if successfully completed, will result in the dismissal of the misdemeanor charge.
The speeding ticket was issued at 8:35 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19. A court date of May 20 has been set in Johnson County Judicial Circuit Court on the charge of exceeding the posted speed limit by 26 miles per hour or more.
Kee returned a phone call from The North Cass Herald regarding the situation on Tuesday, but later refused to discuss the matter.