MISSOURI (BNO NEWS) — Missouri state and county officials on Tuesday announced a shocking child sex case allegedly perpetrated by a father and his four adult sons. Neighbors of the father called his arrest a surprise.

Captain Robert L. Powell, the commanding officer of the Missouri Highway Patrol Troop A, in conjunction with Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh announced the arrest of five individuals of the same family. The arrests are the result of a multi-jurisdictional investigation which was initiated by the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department and assisted by the Rural Missouri Major Case Squad, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, Missouri was the oldest person arrested in connection with the case. Mohler has been charged with a Class A felony of forcible rape with a child less than 12 years old by the use of forcible compulsion. He has also been charged with two counts of Class B felony rape and two counts of Class C felony of use of a child in a sexual performance.

Burrell Edward Mohler Sr. was, according to online family documents, married with Alice Elefson until she died in December 1991. Alice and Mohler had at least four children; Eddie, David, Jared and Roland. Burrell Edward Mohler Sr. later married a new wife on October 10, 1992.

Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence, Missouri is believed to be the son of the 77 year old Mohler. He was charged with a Class C felony of deviate sexual assault with a child less than 14 years old and two counts of Class C felony use of a child in a sexual performance.

David A. Mohler, 48, of Columbia, Missouri is also believed to be a son of the 77 year old Mohler. David has been charged with a Class A felony of forcible rape with a child less than 12 years old by the use of forcible compulsion.

Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia, Missouri has been charged with a Class A felony of forcible rape with a child less than 12 years old by the use of forcible compulsion. He is also charged with a Class B felony of forcible sodomy knowingly had deviate sexual intercourse with a child less than 12 years old by use of forcible compulsion. Jared, who is also believed to be a son of the 77 year old Mohler, is further charged with two counts of Class C felonies of use of a child in a sexual performance.

Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City, Missouri was also charged with a Class C felony use of a child in a sexual performance. Also Roland is believed to be a son of the 77 year old Mohler.

All five individuals are currently being held at the Lafayette County Jail on bond and officials say the investigation is continuing. Authorities did not immediately release any information on the circumstances of the crimes and it was not immediately clear if the victims were related to the family, but officials said it involved more than one child.

“I can tell you this is a complete surprise to me,” a neighbor of 77 year old Mohler told BNO News on Tuesday evening. The neighbor, who lived in the street for more than twenty years, described Mohler as a “good man” although he did not know him personally.

Mohler was often out in his yard and the neighbor had brief conversations with him at times. He said he never saw any of his sons who were also charged in the case, and did not recall any suspicious activity at the home. He continued on to say he once saw a girl inside the home, but was not sure who she was. Mohler, according to the neighbor, was believed to be living with a wife and his disabled daughter, even though he had never seen them.

The Rural Missouri Major Case Squad is a multi-jurisdictional task force and its members working on the case include the Sheriff’s Departments of Jackson, Johnson, and Pettis Counties, as well as the Odessa, Higginsville, Warrensburg, University of Central Missouri, and Sedalia Police Departments. The Western Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force is also assisting in the investigation.

A news conference with more information is expected on Wednesday.