Pittman charged with sex crimes including statutory rape, incest

If convicted of multiple felonies, Mt. Vernon man faces up to 25 years in prison
 
A Mt. Vernon man is in custody at the Lawrence County Jail after being charged with multiple sex crimes involving an underage female relative. Dakohta Pittman, 30, faces two counts of second-degree statutory rape, one count of first-degree child endangerment and one count of incest.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by two people whose children allegedly saw Pittman and the girl engaged in sexual intercourse. It was not immediately clear what the relationship was between the reporting individuals and the victim or Pittman.
In an interview at the Monett Children’s Center on Wednesday, Dec. 16, the girl, who is under 17 years old, told investigators that she and Pittman had engaged in sexual intercourse. The first time, she said, was in the summer of 2019 prior to her 15th birthday at an address in Mt. Vernon; the most recent time was during the week prior to the interview, at an address in Miller.
The girl also told investigators that she had sent Pittman nude photos of herself, and Pittman had sent her nude photos of him. According to the probable cause statement, an investigator checked the girl’s cell phone and found several nude photos of Pittman. The phone also had several sexually explicit text messages which were exchanged between the girl and Pittman.
Pittman was also interviewed on Dec. 16, at the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office’s detective room. The investigator reported that, after being read his Miranda Rights, Pittman admitted to having sex with the girl, and he deleted all conversation texts with her.
Pittman was arraigned on Monday, Dec. 21. If convicted of all offenses, he faces up to 25 years in prison.