Raytown man’s alleged sexual encounters — ‘about 50’ — with girl began when she was 7

A 27-year-old Raytown man is charged with multiple felonies after allegedly admitting to “about 50” sexual encounters with one Independence girl, from when she was 7 to 9 years old.

According to a court document, Zachary R. Sprowls admitted to Independence police that he had sexual encounters with the girl in her bedroom, on her kitchen counter and once in his truck.

The girl told investigators that Sprowls placed his finger and his penis in her vagina and in her anus, that he would rub himself against her and lick her body, that he would force her to look at pictures of his penis and that he would remove her clothes and take pictures of her naked body.

Sprowls allegedly told the girl to “shut up” when she resisted and that he would do it more if she told on him.

During a kitchen encounter Sprowls and the girl heard her mother arrive home. Sprowls allegedly stopped his actions immediately and told the mother he was helping the girl get a drink.

After the mother left the kitchen, the girl said, Sprowls took her pants off and tried to penetrate her. She told investigators it “hurt really, really bad.” The girl said she hit and scratched Sprowls until he stopped and then she ran away from him.

The mother contacted police June 28 after noticing the girl was scratching her vaginal area and she told her mother what had been happening.

According to the court document, Sprowls told police he knew his actions were wrong and against the law but that the girl had provoked him and he stopped when she said it hurt.

Sprowls is charged with five counts of statutory sodomy in the first degree for deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 14, two counts of statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy, statutory rape and child molestation. Bond was set at $150,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13.