Missouri's new child safety law defines grooming as felony, with 5 to 30 years in prison
A major child safety law is officially in effect across Missouri starting Aug. 28.
House Bill 2273, also known as "Evie and Sophie's Law", completely rewrites how the state protects minors.
Prior to today, Missouri law seemingly ignored grooming, and law enforcement had to wait until a physical act occurred in order to step in.
With the new law in effect, grooming is now defined and criminalized with mandatory prison time.
The law targets anyone who uses patterns of conduct to persuade, entice, or lure a minor. It is illegal to engage in any behaviors with intent to prepare, condition, or manipulate, or cause a minor to engage in sexual conduct, sexual performance, or a commercial act of sex.
Today's law protects all minors under the age of 18 and explicitly protects anyone under 18 years old from any person who is more than 4 years older than them.
Grooming is considered a felony, carrying a prison sentence of five to 30 years, and courts can order the offender to pay restitution to the victim.
Missouri was one of 36 states that did not define grooming by law.
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