William E. Huck Sr. - Pleads Guilty to Serial Day Care Child Molesting

The husband of a Ste. Genevieve home-based daycare operator has pleaded guilty to seven sex-related charges, and in doing so admitted to 30 alleged sexual acts involving seven children.

William E. Huck Sr., 62, will be sentenced April 17.

Before the plea hearing Friday, Huck’s attorney, Joseph M. Hadican of St. Louis,and the Ste. Genevieve County Prosecutor Tim Inman agreed that Huck would plead guilty as a predatory sexual offender. As part of that plea, Huck admitted that he committed numerous acts, including all 30 alleged sexual acts involving seven children.

This increased the range of punishment for Circuit Court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte.

Huck pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory sodomy and five counts of child molestation. The victims involved five boys and two girls, ranging in age from infant to 5 years old. The incidents occurred between 1998 and 2007.

Huck, speaking softly, gave brief details of each of the seven incidents. The statutory sodomy charge alleged deviate sexual intercourse and the child molestation charges alleged touching.

One of Huck’s cases had been set for trial next month in St. Francois County on a change of venue from Ste. Genevieve County.

Huck was arrested in March 2007 and is alleged to have confessed to molesting 40 children over the past three decades.

According to police reports, the abuse happened during times when Huck’s wife was away from the center. Authorities have said Huck’s wife was unaware of the abuse. He used fear to manipulate at least one child, according to police.

Huck, a retired railroad worker, had no previous criminal record.

Inman said that Huck’s wife was cooperative in the investigation and was not charged.