Fontanelle man charged with sexually assaulting a minor

With a list of charges already pending in court, Johnathon Clarke, 23, of Fontanelle has been charged with three more, including sexual assault of a minor.

According to an Adair County report, A 14-year-old called 911 on Nov. 4, 2025, while walking to Casey’s in Fontanelle after waking up in the back of an SUV outside Clarke’s residence.

The victim said they had been drinking with Clarke and blacked out. Unsure if any sexual activity had occurred, the victim and their mother went to the hospital to have a sexual assault kit completed. Deputies spoke with the victim who stated Clarke provided the alcohol.

Clarke told deputies that he had seen the minor in Fontanelle who told him they were raped by three men in a white van. He admitted to knowing the minor from a party five years earlier. Because the victim would have been 9 at the time, deputies found the story to not be believable.

A search warrant of Clarke’s phone uncovered text messages between him and the minor starting the morning of Nov. 3.

The testing of the specimen from the victim’s shorts resulted in a mixture of two individuals. The lab report showed strong support that Clarke is a contributor to the DNA profile of the sample.

Deputies charged Clarke with sexual abuse third degree - child victim person four or more years older, first offense; enticing a minor under 16 - sexual purpose and supplying alcohol to person under legal age.

Clarke was transported to the Adair County Jail where he is being held on a $125,000 cash-only bond. Of the $125,000, $25,000 was a bond reinstated after his pretrial release was revoked due to the new charges.