“It Is What It Looks Like”: Sapulpa Police arrest alleged molester of 8-year-old autistic girl

Following a call to police dispatch, Officer Steven Funk of the Sapulpa Police Dept. responded to a home on S. Mounds concerning a possible sex crime. On Saturday, October 27th about 3:38 p.m., he spoke to the mother of the alleged victim, who is an autistic, 8-year-old girl. The child is non-verbal.

The mother left the child inside their residence while she went outside to smoke a cigarette on the front porch. Then she heard a strange noise from her daughter and went inside to check on her. She allegedly saw her daughter backed into a corner of the kitchen, nude, with her arms raised, and she looked scared. Standing about 1-2 feet away was the defendant, John W. Pingleton, age 53, with his jeans pulled down to his knees. He had his boxers on, but she said he had an erection. The defendant began pulling his pants up and the victim’s mother swore at him and asked what was going on.