Tomlinson gets change of venue

Former Fredericktown Police Captain Ken Tomlinson II has been granted a change of venue.

Last week, Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte ordered that further hearings with the case be taken up in St. Charles County. Tomlinson’s public defender had asked for a change of venue.

Tomlinson, 42, who was also a Boy Scout leader and a firefighter, is charged with 16 counts of statutory sodomy in Madison County.

He was arrested in January and is accused of sexually assaulting two boys who were under the age of 16. According to police reports, Tomlinson admitted to having sexual contact with the boys. The investigation was conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The case is being prosecuted by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office.

He is being held on a $100,000 bond.

Tomlinson joined the police department in Fredericktown as a patrolman in 1997. He was promoted to captain, the top job, last April.