The Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is prosecuting a Liberty attorney who is accused of multiple crimes resulting from a lewd computer chat with with an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Jerome M. Patience, 39, who lives in Independence was charged in Platte County Circuit Court Wednesday after allegedly chatting with the “girl” for nearly a month in 2016.  Patience is charged with felonies of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of attempted sexual misconduct involving a child and a misdemeanor of attempting to furnish pornographic materials to minors.

According to a news release from the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office, in May of 2016 Patience allegedly began chatting with an undercover officer posing as the child. During the chats, Patience allegedly spoke of sex with her and showed interest in meeting. However, Patience allegedly said he was afraid to meet her because it was illegal, and he would lose his job and his family. He also allegedly wrote that he did not know where they could meet “that I can trust that it doesn’t get me arrested.”

Investigators ultimately identified the Liberty law office from which Patience was conducting his chat. He told the “girl” that he only chatted while at work and not during the evening or weekends.

On August 25, 2016, investigators served a search warrant at the law firm. Patience’s computer was allegedly open to the Yahoo account from which he had conducted the chat with the undercover officer.

Zahnd said the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri reviewed the case for several months, ultimately deferring to Platte County to prosecute the case.

Patience is currently being held in the Platte County Detention Center in lieu of a $30,000 cash bond.