West County Man Convicted of Sexual Assault Receives Prison Sentence

A West County man charged with sex crimes against a teenage girl has been handed a seven-year prison sentence.

Joshua Witkowski, 19, of Winchester, pleaded guilty to last week to charges of sexual assault and child molestation against a 14-year-old victim, according to a report this morning from KSDK. Witkowski was given a seven-year term for the sexual assault and a six-year sentence for the molestation, which he will serve concurrently. 

As previously reported by Patch, police linked Witkowski to the crime using DNA evidence and said the victim did not consent to the act.

The allegations against Witkowski were filed last fall by the Manchester Police Department. At the time, police said they received complaints from numerous other girls who had encounters with Witkowski in the past, triggering investigations by police departments throughout the West County area. 

He appeared to be prolific at soliciting dates, using parks throughout the West County area, including Vlasis Park in Ballwin, to meet girls as well as social media sites such as Facebook and DateHookup.com.

However, while police had gathered evidence about other possible victims during the course of their investigation, no other charges have been filed. 

Other girls between the ages of 14 and 18 accused him of inappropriate acts that either were not criminal or there was not enough evidence to pursue a case against him, an official from the proesecuting attorney's office told Patch on Monday.