A Grain Valley, Missouri, police officer has been charged with multiple child sex acts after a juvenile admitted to their parents that they had been sneaking out of the house to meet him. *Note: We are not identifying the gender or other characteristics of the victim to protect the individual's identity. The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office said 27-year-old August P. Gildehaus has been charged with first-degree sodomy, sexual exploitation of a minor, four counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, and three counts of second-degree statutory rape. According to the prosecutor's office, the Grain Valley, Missouri Police Chief reached out to the Missouri State Highway Patrol to investigate allegations that an officer had engaged in sex acts in 2022 and 2023 with a juvenile. The request came after a juvenile was reported missing, then returned home and told their parents they had been engaged in sexual activity with adult men. The victim said one of the men was a police officer. The victim said they met the officer, who lived in Grain Valley, on online chat platforms Omegle and Discord. While interviewing the victim, police told the teen that no officer working for GVPD matched the name the victim was given. The victim's family reviewed photos from the department's Facebook page and identified the officer as August Gildehaus. The victim was able to tell investigators where Gildehaus lived, describe identifying tattoos, including one of a skyline on his arm, knew his birthday, and knew the name of one of his children. Message records between Gildehaus and the victim were recovered from Discord, in which the victim said they were under the age of 17.Probable cause documents in this case show Gildehaus admitted to detectives that he was a Grain Valley Police Officer and that he had obtained a new tattoo on his arm covering up what had been the skyline of a city in Russia. Gildehaus reportedly admitted to knowing the victim was under the age of 17 and that he engaged in sexually explicit conversations and behavior with the victim on multiple occasions.Gildehaus told authorities he created an alias on the apps to conceal his identity. According to a statement from the City of Grain Valley, Gildehaus has been placed on paid administrative leave as part of the rules and processes in the Police Officers Bill of Rights. "We are committed to the oaths of office for law enforcement officers as well as the standards the citizens of Grain Valley expect from our department," the city said in a statement. "We recognize the alleged crime is sensitive in nature and acknowledge the pain this can bring to individual families as well as the community as a whole."Authorities said the investigation into Gildehaus's conduct continues.Statement from City of Grain Valley on the charges:"The Grain Valley Police Department holds our officers and civilian staff to the highest standards of ethics and integrity. We expect that the actions of our staff in their professional and personal lives do not discredit the public trust put in the agency. Our department was made aware of allegations involving a department member and we turned the investigation over to a separate and independent agency, the Missouri State Highway Patrol. We are thankful for their assistance in conducting a full and impartial investigation into the matter. We take any criminal activity seriously and therefore cooperated fully in the investigation. There are rules and processes in place through the Police Officers Bill of Rights that we have an obligation to follow to determine the status of an employee. The officer charged with the offenses has been placed on paid administrative leave. We are committed to the oaths of office for law enforcement officers as well as the standards the citizens of Grain Valley expect from our department. We recognize the alleged crime is sensitive in nature and acknowledge the pain this can bring to individual families as well as the community as a whole. As we embark on the future, we encourage the community to bring forth concerns as we enhance professionalism at the Grain Valley Police Department. Any further inquiries regarding this specific investigation should be directed to the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office."This story may cause issues or concerns for survivors of sexual assault. The Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault is ready to help.You can call MOCSA’s 24-hour crisis line in Missouri at (816) 531-0233 or Kansas at (913) 642-0233 if you need to talk to someone.MOCSA is also hosting a Stewards of Children training Saturday, April 29 to help people learn ways to protect children from sexual abuse.You can learn more here.