UPDATE: Well-known mid-Missouri attorney charged after sting expected to request home detention

By Brian Hauswirth
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A prominent mid-Misssouri attorney has pleaded NOT guilty to a felony charge of enticement or attempted enticement of a child.

56-year-old Daniel Walter Follett is charged in Boone County Circuit Court. He had served as the Missouri Department of Revenue’s (DOR) general counsel until he was fired after last week’s arrest.

Court documents filed by Boone County prosecutors say Follett was allegedly using a prostitution website “to solicit sexual services from a person whom he believed to be a 16-year-old child.” The Boone County Sheriff’s Department’s probable cause statement says Follett allegedly arrived at an address in Boone County last week to pay money to have sex with a female whom he believed was under the age of 17.

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56-year-old Daniel Follett of Columbia is currently jailed without bond (June 2026 mug shot courtesy of the Boone County Sheriff Department’s website)

Follett, who is currently jailed without bond, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon before Judge Kimberly Shaw and is expected to request home detention, based on online court records.

939 the Eagle News contacted the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) after Follett’s arrest. DOR released a statement about Follett’s arrest and status last week. It reads: “The Department is aware of an out-of-office incident involving a staff member who was arrested and charged with criminal activity. Following departmental procedures, employment has been terminated with the individual.”

What’s next: Follett is scheduled to appear in Boone County Circuit Court on Tuesday at 1 pm for a bond hearing before Judge Kimberly Shaw. Follett is represented by defense attorney Jessica Caldera, a former Boone County assistant prosecutor. Follett is expected to request home detention from the court until his trial. Boone County prosecutors have described Follett in a court filing as a flight risk.