Man arrested in Polk County, accused of assaulting girls in Humansville

POLK COUNTY, Mo. — A man is in Polk County Jail after allegedly being inappropriate with and assaulting young girls in Humansville.

Online court documents show Daniel Perry Witham has been charged with:

• abuse or neglect of a child
• two counts of third-degree kidnapping
• fourth-degree assault

A probable cause statement from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) says deputies responded to two calls regarding Witham on Oct. 13.

The first call came in at around 7 p.m., when documents say deputies spoke with a juvenile girl who said she and her friend (also a juvenile) were walking down West Tilden Street when Witham approached them and wanted to talk with them about Jesus Christ.

The girl told PCSO that Witham was “preaching to them,” which included statements like, “you look like a virgin. I hope you are. I am too.” The girl and her friend began to feel uncomfortable and found an adult, who was across the street.

Documents say Witham grabbed the girl by the arm as she tried to get away from him, and ignored her as she yelled at him to let her go. The girl told deputies she was eventually able to get out of Witham’s grip.

When deputies attempted to make contact with him, Witham told them he was “just spreading the gospel to all of his neighbors.”

A second call regarding Witham was made at around 8:20 p.m., documents state. A woman who was trying to do some shopping at the Dollar General location in Humansville told PCSO that Witham cornered her and said he wanted to speak about Jesus Christ. When the woman asked Witham to “get away from her,” he also grabbed her by the arm.

Court documents say the woman screamed multiple times, asking him to get away. The commotion attracted the attention of several people in the store, and Witham left after management asked him to do so.

The probable cause statement also says that PCSO has received “…multiple complaints on [Witham] being inappropriate with female juveniles…” and that he “…did not appear to have any remorse, nor care for the actions performed.” Documents also indicate that Witham was previously convicted of first-degree assault in April 2024.

Witham is currently being held in Polk County Jail on a $15,000 bond.

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