Two Men Charged With Sex Crimes Involving Children Found Not Guilty In Taney County:

Two men who were charged with sex crimes involving children have been found not guilty by juries in Taney County.

Moses Francisco Perales, 55, of Branson was facing child molestation and sodomy charges after his girlfriend's daughter told her mother that he fondled her multiple times in 2009.

Luther "Luke" David Mitchell, Jr., 40, of Hollister was charged in 2008 of sexual misconduct of a minor after a friend of his daughter said he fondled her when she stayed all night.

Attorney Joseph Allen says juries in both cases said the state did not have enough evidence for a conviction.  "This wasn't a typical result for them (prosecutors.)  We have a conservative minded jury pool in Taney County. It's refreshing to see that they were willing to listen to the evidence and just not sitting in a jury box willing to convict innocent men."