Preacher Convicted of Child Molestation – Gaines
- February 20, 2009
ROCK PORT, Mo. — After deliberating nearly nine hours, an Atchison County jury on Thursday night convicted Joseph R. Gaines III, 60, of two felony counts of first-degree child molestation and one count of first-degree statutory sodomy.
The jury could not reach a verdict on a second count of statutory sodomy.
The verdicts in the court of Circuit Judge Roger Prokes came in just after 8 p.m. The judge set sentencing for March 24 at 11 a.m. Mr. Gaines faces anywhere from five years to life in prison.
Mr. Gaines is a preacher and has served as a police officer in Fairfax, Rock Port and Tarkio. He also has been a reserve deputy for the Atchison County Sheriff’s Department. His grandfather served as the county sheriff from 1945 to 1964.
Atchison County Prosecutor Dan Smith noted that the case stemmed from incidents in 2006 involving two girls under the age of 14. One of his first witnesses Wednesday was retired St. Joseph police officer Carol Cummings, who had specialized in interviewing children who were witnesses to crimes or the victims of crimes. Ms. Cummings told the court she’d interviewed more than 4,200 children during her career.
Defense attorney Jak Jacoby told jurors that his client was being attacked by an emotionally disturbed mother wanting attention. The mother was intent on swaying her children to say Mr. Gaines was guilty of crimes he did not commit, Mr. Jacoby held.
The defense has 25 days to file any post-trial motions in the case.
CITED FROM:
http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2009/feb/20/jury-finds-gaines-guilty/
