An eighteen-year-old Birch Tree man was found not guilty by a jury of 12 people related to accusations made by a Houston teenager alleging three sex offenses.
The state alleged that Joseph Rutledge committed the offense of statutory sodomy and statutory rape in the first degree by having sexual relations with a witness at a time when she was under the age of 14.
During trial, the state filed an additional charge for child molestation in the fourth degree and alleged that the defendant had sexual contact with the witness, who was less than seventeen years old, at a time when he was more than four years older than her.
During trial, the defense presented evidence that the witness had lied about her age to Rutledge, as well as another eighteen-year-old boy. During the witness’s testimony, she admitted that she lied about her age to the other eighteen-year-old boy, telling him that she was 15 years old, but denied lying about her age to Mr. Rutledge. She also admitted to lying about sending photos and sneaking out of a house in Summersville.
The charges of statutory sodomy and statutory rape in the first degree carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years and maximum of life in prison. The child molestation in the fourth-degree charge carries a range of punishment of up to four years in prison, up to one year in county jail, a fine of up to $10,000 or a combination of fine and incarceration.
The jury deliberated from 12:24 p.m. until 1:51 p.m. before finding Rutledge not guilty on all charges.
The State of Missouri was represented by Texas County Prosecuting Attorney Parke Stevens.
The defense was represented by Lacon Marie Smith, a criminal defense attorney at Smith Criminal Defense in Springfield, Mo.