Dexter man sentenced to 20 years in prison in child enticement case

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — A Dexter, Missouri, man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was found guilty of enticement of a child in March.

On Monday, Stoddard County (Missouri) Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver announced Robert Cooper, 42, received the 20-year sentence from Judge Joe Z. Satterfield.

A Stoddard County jury found Cooper guilty of the unclassified felony March 14.

The case centered around Cooper luring, through Facebook Messenger, what he thought was a 13-year-old girl to a motel in Dexter where he arrived with a duffel bag filled with sexual devices, handcuffs and pornography. However, instead of a 13-year-old girl, Cooper met the Dexter Police.

"This case should be a wake-up call to all parents of the dangers that social media poses to their teenage children," said Oliver of the trial and recommended sentence. "Robert Cooper is a predator, and if he had been messaging an actual 13-year-old girl, the defendant had the clear intention that she would have been bound, handcuffed, sexually assaulted and taken to Florida by the defendant. We believe that Robert Cooper needs to spend every minute allowed by law behind bars to prevent him ever having the opportunity to harm a child."

Evidence was presented showing that between Sept. 26 and 28, 2020, Cooper engaged in a Facebook private messenger conversation with a person whom he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. In reality, Cooper was communicating with an adult female in Wayne County, Missouri, who was posing as a girl on Facebook in an effort to expose predators who were seeking to engage in sex acts with children.

The conversation began with Cooper asking what her age was. She replied she was 13. The defendant then began to describe sexual acts that he wanted to perform on her. Cooper told her that she was going to be his 13-year-old sex slave, that he was going to tie her up and would get her pregnant.

The following day, the messaging escalated where Cooper repeatedly acknowledged she was 13 years old and she was a virgin. Cooper told her he had "other 12-year-old slaves" and they were all going to have sex together. He further stated he was going to bind and gag the child.

During the conversation, Cooper disclosed he was in Dexter and told the fake 13-year-old girl to get a ride from one of her friends and come to Dexter to meet him.

Detective Cory Mills with Dexter Police Department testified he took over the Facebook account Cooper was messaging. During that continuing conversation, Cooper said he intended to take her to Florida. Mills arranged a meeting at Dexter Inn. Motel officials allowed Mills and fellow detective Thomas Forkum to set up in one of their rooms.

When Cooper arrived at the room and was met by police, without being asked any question by officers, he immediately exclaimed "I didn't know she was 13."

Cooper was later interviewed by Mills and admitted he was the person engaged in the Facebook messaging conversation with the fake 13-year-old girl. He admitted he believed her to be 13. Cooper said he was just trying to scare the girl off Facebook.

After finding him guilty of enticement of a child, the jury arrived at a recommended sentence of 20 years.