PARK HILLS, Mo. (AP) – An eastern Missouri man’s honesty during a job interview with the state Highway Patrol got him arrested when, according to the interviewer, he acknowledged inappropriately touching a child.

KMOV-TV reports that St. Francois County prosecutors now have charged 26-year-old Christopher Stringham, of Park Hills, with 20 counts of first-degree statutory sodomy.

According to court records, Stringham was asked during a job interview with the Highway Patrol last month if he ever committed a sexual crime he could be convicted of. He allegedly replied he touched a child several times, each time accidentally.

A message left Tuesday with his attorney, James Willis of Farmington, wasn’t returned.

A judge lowered Stringham’s bond Tuesday from $500,000 to $25,000 and ordered him to wear a monitoring bracelet if released.

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