Sedalia man arrested at Midway hotel with minor

A Pettis County man is arrested at a Boone County hotel with a minor.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office received a tip earlier this week that 21-year-old William Vinyard of Sedalia was staying at the Midway Budget Inn with a 15-year-old victim.  After deputies confirmed Vinyard was having an inappropriate relationship with the victim, he was arrested on two counts of second-degree statutory rape.

A second adult, identified as 35-year-old Alicia Howard of Columbia, was cited for endangering the welfare of a child.  Investigators say they believe Howard assisted with providing a hotel room for Vinyard and the victim to occupy over the past two weeks.