Mo. Rev. Stat. » Chapter 566
Missouri Revised Statutes

Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.151 (2026)

Grooming or enticement of a child, penalties

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  566.151.  Grooming or enticement of a child, penalties — citation as Evie and Sophie's law — statewide council to issue guidance. — 1.  This section shall be known and may be cited as "Evie and Sophie's Law".

  2.  For purposes of this section, "minor" means a person under eighteen years of age.

  3.  A person commits the offense of grooming or enticement of a minor if, being more than four years older than a minor, he or she knowingly, by any means or through any pattern of conduct, attempts to persuade, solicit, coax, entice, or lure or persuades, solicits, coaxes, entices, or lures such minor with the intent to prepare, condition, manipulate, or otherwise cause such minor to engage in sexual conduct, a sexual performance, or a commercial sex act.

  4.  It is not a defense to a prosecution for a violation of this section that the person believed to be a minor was a peace officer masquerading as a minor.

  5.  Grooming or enticement of a minor is a felony for which the authorized term of imprisonment shall be not less than five years and not more than thirty years, unless the grooming or enticement results in the minor engaging in sexual conduct, a sexual performance, or a commercial sex act, in which case the minimum authorized term of imprisonment shall be not less than ten years.  No person convicted and sentenced to the department of corrections under this section shall be eligible for parole or conditional release for a period of five calendar years, unless the grooming or enticement results in the minor engaging in sexual conduct, a sexual performance, or a commercial sex act, in which case the person shall not be eligible for parole, probation, conditional release, or suspended imposition or execution of sentence for a period of ten calendar years.  Upon conviction, the punishment imposed under this subsection shall be in addition and consecutive to any punishment provided by law for any crime committed as a result of the offense committed under this section.

  6.  Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 557.011, 558.019, and 559.021 to the contrary, a person found guilty of violating this section shall be ordered by the sentencing court to pay restitution to the victim of the offense.  The minimum restitution ordered by the court for such victim shall be in the amount determined by the court necessary to compensate the victim for the mental and physical rehabilitation of the victim, any lost income or educational disruption, or relocation or housing assistance for the victim.

  7.  The committee within the statewide council established under section 210.1505 shall issue guidance for:

  (1)  The public on identifying and recognizing actions constituting grooming or enticement of a minor, responding to potential instances of grooming of a minor, and treatment of and services for victims of grooming; and

  (2)  Procedures and training for professionals on the investigating and prosecuting of perpetrators of the offense of grooming or enticement of a minor.

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(L. 2002 S.B. 969, et al., A.L. 2006 H.B. 1698, et al., A.L. 2014 S.B. 491, A.L. 2025 S.B. 43, A.L. 2026 H.B. 2273, et al.)

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 45 cases (12 in the last 5 years), 2006–2025 · leading case: State v. Pribble, 285 S.W.3d 310 (Mo. 2009).
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State v. Pribble, 285 S.W.3d 310 (Mo. 2009). · cites it 23× “Jacob Pribble (“Defendant”) challenges the constitutional validity of section 566.151, RSMo Supp.2008, 1 pursuant to which he was convicted of attempted enticement of a child.”
State v. Faruqi, 344 S.W.3d 193 (Mo. 2011). · cites it 19× “Fa-ruqi says that “affirmative defense” language in subsection 2 of section 566.151 RSMo Supp.2010 1 makes the statute unclear as to whether someone could be convicted of actual enticement of a child in a situation in which no actual child was involved; he argues, therefore,…”
State v. Osborn, 318 S.W.3d 703 (Mo. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 18× “045, [1] one count of enticement of a child, pursuant to section 566.151, [2] and two counts of felony murder in the second degree, pursuant to section 565.”
State v. Smith, 330 S.W.3d 548 (Mo. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 12× “Eddie Wayne Smith (“Appellant”) was convicted by a jury of one count of enticement of a child in violation of section 566.151 and one count of attempted statutory rape in the first degree in violation of sections 564.”
State v. Davies, 330 S.W.3d 775 (Mo. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 6× “Appellant, Jeffrey Davies appeals his convictions, following a jury trial, of one count of enticement of a child, Section 566.151, 1 and two counts of attempted statutory sodomy in the first degree, Sections 566.”
State of Missouri v. Christopher D. Craig, 498 S.W.3d 459 (Mo. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 9× “Section 566.151, RSMo Cum. Supp. 2013, provides: - 1.”
State v. Sears, 298 S.W.3d 561 (Mo. Ct. App. 2009). · cites it 9× “Introduction Lamar Sears (Defendant) appeals from his conviction following a jury trial for *562 attempted enticement of a child, in violation of section 566.151, RSMo Cum.Supp. 2006 1 , and first-degree trespass, in violation of section 569.”
State v. Almaguer, 347 S.W.3d 636 (Mo. Ct. App. 2011). · cites it 6× “” Section 566.151; State v. Davies, 330 S.W.”
State v. Fleis, 319 S.W.3d 504 (Mo. Ct. App. 2010). · cites it 5× “Fleis was charged with one count of attempted enticement of a child, in violation of Section 566.151, RSMo.2000. 1 Following a jury trial, Fleis was found guilty of the charge and was sentenced to six years of imprisonment.”
State of Missouri v. Jerry Lee Rice, 504 S.W.3d 198 (Mo. Ct. App. 2016). · cites it 2× “Rice (“Rice”) appeals from his conviction, following a trial by jury before the Circuit Court of Buchanan County, of *200 one count of attempted enticement of a child, section 566.151, 1 for which he was sentenced as a prior offender to twenty-five years’ imprisonment.”
State v. Wadsworth, 203 S.W.3d 825 (Mo. Ct. App. 2006). · cites it 3× “1 §§ 566.151 2 and 564.011. This court affirms.”
State v. Crites, 400 S.W.3d 828 (Mo. Ct. App. 2013). · cites it 4× “115; and the unclassified felony of enticement of a child (Count VI), in violation of section 566.151. 1 Crites contends the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress his statements and relying on his written statement to law enforcement in determining guilt.”
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