Dexter teen to stand trial on sex crime charges

Editor's note: The felony charges in the story below were dropped to three misdemeanor charges. Hedrick was sentenced to two years' probation and ordered to pay compensation to the victims. He was ordered to enroll in a sex offender outpatient program, but was not required to register as a sex offender.

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- A Dexter, Mo., teenager was ordered to stand trial Monday on 14 sex-related felonies, including forcible sodomy and forcible rape.

Zachariah A. Hedrick, 17, of the 16100 block of Country Lane, appeared at three preliminary hearings before Associate Circuit Judge John Spielman of Kennett.

"We had a preliminary hearing on all three of the cases involving Hedrick, one right after the other," said Stoddard County assistant prosecuting attorney Rance Butler. "We took them in the order they were filed."

Hedrick originally was charged in October with forcible sodomy and felonious restraint in connection with an alleged Oct. 4 incident at a Dexter business involving a teenage girl.

In January, Hedrick was charged with attempted forcible rape, attempted first-degree statutory rape, first-degree child molestation, sexual abuse, felonious restraint and sexual misconduct involving a second juvenile.

Those charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred in February 2006 that involved a then-13-year-old girl.

At the time Hedrick allegedly committed the offenses, he was a juvenile. He was certified to stand trial as an adult on the charges.

In March, Hedrick was charged with first-degree statutory rape, first-degree statutory sodomy, first-degree child molestation, sexual exploitation of a minor, second-degree promoting child pornography and sexual misconduct involving a child by indecent exposure.

At the time the alleged offenses occurred, Hedrick's third alleged victim was 13.

At the time Hedrick allegedly committed the offenses between Oct. 1, 2007, and December 2007 and in March 2008, he was a juvenile. He was certified to stand trial as an adult on the charges.

After hearing the evidence, "the judge bound [Hedrick] over on all three cases for a combined 14 counts," Butler said. "[Spielman] bound all three cases over to Circuit Court."

Spielman ordered Hedrick to appear at 10:30 a.m. May 20 for arraignment on all the charges before Presiding Circuit Judge Stephen Sharp.