Golden accused of child molestation, other sex crimes

A former Ash Grove resident is being held at the Greene County Jail in Springfield, accused of a variety of sexual crimes. Tyler Anthony Golden, 39, is charged with first-degree statutory sodomy of a child under the age of 12, first-degree child molestation, two counts of sexual misconduct involving a child and two counts of second-degree child molestation.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, Golden is suspected of committing these acts between April 2017 and June of 2019 in Willard.
It was reported in the probable cause statement that three girls were interviewed in December in regards to the alleged abuse by Golden.
The first girl interviewed was under 18 at the time of the alleged abuse. She stated Golden began speaking to her about “sexual stuff” and asked her questions in December of 2018; she said he also “grabbed her buttocks.” She reported that Golden would come into her bedroom at night, watch her sleep, make statements which were “sexual in nature” and “stroke her thigh.”
The girl also reported that in 2019, Golden came into her room and asked her “if she wanted to do something.” She said she told him “No,” and that she knew that he was implying “sexual stuff.”
The second girl interviewed reported Golden began abusing her when she was under 14. She also reported that Golden, on another occasion, inappropriately touched her outside of her clothing and that he performed sex acts on himself in front of her three times.
The final girl interviewed reported Golden abused her beginning when she was under the age of 12. She reported he touched her over her clothing while they were sitting on a couch watching television. She also reported that Golden asked her to touch him sexually three different times, and that he exposed himself to her.
Golden was arrested by Willard City Police Jan. 19 and booked into the Greene County jail just after midnight on Jan. 20. According to online records, he is being held on $300,000 bond. Should he make bail, he will be required to be fitted with a GPS device and be confined to his home.
In 2006, Golden pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct involving a child. According to the probable cause statement in that case, he exposed his genitals and touched himself in front of a girl under the age of 14 at a Greene County Library location in Springfield. The officer who questioned him reported that Golden “admitted to it being a thrill to expose himself in public,” and also “admitted to being sexually attracted to young girls.” He was given a four-year suspended prison sentence and five years of supervised probation, which he successfully completed in 2011.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol Sex Offender Registry listed Golden as being a level-two offender with a status of compliant, as of press time.