Woods arraigned on sex charges

Jefferson City funeral director Tyler Woods will return to court Feb. 15 for a status hearing, after pleading not guilty Wednesday to four charges of assaulting a teenage girl.

The Cole County grand jury in June charged Woods, 28, of 2725 Cedarwood Court, with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree child molestation and supplying liquor to a minor.

He waived the formal reading of those charges in Wednesday morning's appearance before Circuit Judge Dan Green.

Prosecutors originally charged Woods in February for an incident that reportedly occurred last November.

The victim's mother contacted police and said her child had worked for Woods on Nov. 6, 2015, and several hours after finishing work that day, the daughter came home intoxicated.

The victim has not been named but was identified as being under 17.

The victim told officers she had consumed liquor, which Woods had purchased. She said he had filled her cup with it and told her he would pay her $100 if she drank the entire cup.

The victim said she drank the entire cup, but Woods continued to make bets with her.

According to police records, the girl told police she eventually passed out, and Woods was touching her bare breasts when she woke up. He continued to touch her even after she pushed Woods away.

She told police Woods eventually took her home when she demanded to leave.

Court records show Woods previously pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of impersonating an officer in February 2006 and was placed on two years unsupervised probation.