UPDATED 10:30 A.M. | Prosecutors in Missouri are deciding whether to file criminal charges against Bradley basketball player Elijah Childs in relation to an alleged sex crime in February.
Police in Springfield, Mo., have completed their initial investigation of Childs for sodomy in the second degree, and submitted the case to Greene County prosecutor Dan Patterson’s office.
Patterson said an assistant prosecutor is reviewing the findings and will determine if there is enough evidence to charge Childs with a Class D felony, punishable by up to 7 years in prison. There is no timetable for that decision and Childs is not currently under arrest.
Childs, a senior forward for the Braves, was suspended for the team’s final six games after he and teammates Terry Nolan Jr., Ja'Shon Henry and Danya Kingsby were identified in a Feb. 13 police report alleging a sex offense that was not rape. Springfield police Public Affairs Officer Jasmine Bailey confirmed the three other players have since been cleared.
Missouri law defines sodomy in the second degree as “deviate sexual intercourse” without the other person’s consent. Patterson stressed that charges referred to his office are merely allegations and all suspects are considered innocent until the case is proved in court.
Childs led Bradley this season with 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, earning second-team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors for a second straight year. He was named a third-team honoree and the Most Outstanding Player of the MVC Tournament in 2019.
Bradley finished the season with a 12-16 overall record and went 6-12 in conference play. The Braves lost six of their final seven games following the Feb. 13 incident, and their reign as two-time MVC tourney champs ended in a 73-63 first-round loss to Southern Illinois.
Childs’ status with the Bradley program remains unclear; his suspension has not been lifted and he has not indicated if he intends to pursue an extra senior season. Both Kingsby, a senior, and Nolan, a junior, have reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal and intend to join another program next season.
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