Kansas City man is accused of making child pornography

Platte County prosecutors have accused a convicted sex offender of creating child pornography and abusing a girl.

Charles R. Burge, 35, of Kansas City is being held on a $500,000, cash-only bond. He faces charges of first-degree statutory rape, sexual exploitation of a minor, child enticement and endangering the welfare of a child.

The investigation began when a foreign law enforcement officer asked for U.S. authorities’ help identifying a child seen in 140 child pornography images now known as the “Lexie” series.

The series allegedly depicts four years of abuse of a girl who now is 11 years old, court records said.

After a three-day investigation in Missouri, Homeland Security investigators identified the victim as a Platte County girl.

Platte County deputies and agents from the FBI and Homeland Security searched a Kansas City home on Friday. They found home furnishings and decor that matched some of the Lexie images. Burge and the alleged victim were in the home, prosecutors said.

Because he has 1996 convictions in Marion County, Ark., on two counts of felony rape, Burge also was charged in Platte County as a predatory sexual offender, which carries a mandatory life sentence upon conviction.

This story was originally published October 7, 2014 at 1:34 PM.