A Cabool man who was charged early this year with four counts of statutory sodomy was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty Aug. 9 in a Phelps County court proceeding.
Roberto R. Candanoza, 51, of 514 Peabody Ave. in Cabool, was charged with four counts of statutory sodomy related to a series of inappropriate sexual encounters with a 9-year-old girl between May 2016 and January 2018.
A Cabool Police Department report said a complaint was received Jan. 31 from a woman who stated her boyfriend was molesting her 9-year-old daughter. The woman told the officer she received information from a 16-year-old babysitter who had talked with the victim.
During the investigation, the woman was interviewed by a Children’s Division worker and the victim was interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center in West Plains.
Candanoza was scheduled for a trial on Aug. 23. He was sentenced by Judge Ronald D. White.