Dexter man gets 12 years on sodomy charge

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Dexter, Mo., man was sentenced to more than a decade in prison Wednesday for sexually assaulting a young boy in 2008.

Kyle L. Cantrell, 22, was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen Sharp, according to a news release from Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver.

Cantrell's sentencing came after he pleaded guilty Sept. 7 to first-degree statutory sodomy, Oliver said.

There was no plea agreement between Oliver and Cantrell's attorney, Catherine Rice with the Public Defender's Office, which left sentencing up to Sharp, who ordered a sentencing assessment report be completed by Probation and Parole.

After presenting testimony from the victim's family and a description of Cantrell's confession, Oliver said, he requested a 20-year sentence.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Oliver said, Sharp sentenced Cantrell to 12 years.

"While we were seeking a much longer sentence, my job as the prosecutor is to obtain a conviction on the appropriate charge," Oliver said. "We accomplished that when the defendant pleaded guilty as charged.

"Sentencing is a decision that is solely left up to the judge, and it is not my place to question his decision."

Due to the "manner in which the charges were filed," Oliver said, Cantrell is required to serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, and upon his release will be subjected to lifetime supervision and electronic monitoring.

"We can be guaranteed that Mr. Cantrell will be off the streets for at least a decade and hopefully the statutory safeguards of lifetime monitoring will be successful in preventing (him) from having the opportunity to harm any other children," Oliver said.

Cantrell was accused of having sexual intercourse with a 7-year-old boy between March 1 and April 31, 2008, at his residence.

The allegations were reported to authorities in March and were investigated by the Dexter Police Department.

After being told of his rights, Cantrell, who was 18 at the time of the crime, admitted to Detective Cory Mills that he sodomized the boy.

Cantrell's account, according to Mill's probable-cause affidavit, was similar to what the victim reported had occurred.

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield, MO

Dexter, MO