WOOD COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Missouri truck driver has been charged in Wood County after investigators say he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl and recorded explicit videos involving the minor.
According to the Parkersburg Police Department, officers responded Jan. 4, 2026, to the West Virginia Welcome Center in Williamstown regarding a missing juvenile.
Police located the teen inside the cab of a tractor-trailer operated by William Lee Santos, 38, of Webb City.
Authorities said the investigation determined Santos met the girl through a social media platform and allegedly maintained a sexual relationship with her for several months.
Investigators allege Santos would coordinate meetings while traveling through the area, park at the Welcome Center, unload a vehicle he was hauling, and then leave to pick up the teen.
Officers seized Santos’ cellphone at the scene.
The juvenile was returned to her parents, and Santos was initially released pending further investigation.
Williamstown police then contacted Parkersburg Police Detective D.W. Miller, who is assigned to the FBI and the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
The teen was later interviewed at the North Star Child Advocacy Center. After obtaining a search warrant for the cellphone, Detective Miller reportedly discovered evidence that Santos would pick up the girl in Williamstown and take her to Marietta, where he allegedly engaged in sexual activity with her.
Investigators also reported finding numerous videos on the device that allegedly depicted Santos recording the encounters and storing them on his phone.
A warrant was issued charging Santos with 11 counts of distribution and exhibiting sexually explicit material involving a minor and one count of soliciting a minor.
Detectives requested assistance from the United States Marshals Service in locating Santos. He was arrested Feb. 5, 2026, by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and booked into the Murray County Jail in Oklahoma.
On February 17th, 2026, Santos was extradited to West Virginia by Parkersburg Police Detectives and was arraigned in Wood County Magistrate Court, where bond was set at $450,000. Santos failed to post bond and was placed in the North Central Regional Jail.
Detective Miller is also working with the Marietta Police Department, where additional charges may be filed.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.
