Ex-Southeast football player charged with rape, incest

JACKSON, Mo. -- A man who once entertained dreams of playing professional football was in court Monday charged with statutory rape and incest.

Ronald E. Shumate Jr., 40, of Dutchtown, Mo., is charged with three class C felony counts of statutory rape and three class D felony counts of incest.

According to records filed in Cape Girardeau County Court, Shumate sexually assaulted a then-15-year-old female relative several times between June and September 2001.

In a brief appearance Monday, Shumate waived a reading of the charges and pleaded not guilty to the accusations. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 4.

He's free on $25,000 bond.

Police were alerted to the case last week when the young woman was admitted to a local hospital's intensive-care unit after attempting suicide.

The teen-ager told police that the first time the abuse occurred, Shumate got her drunk in his tractor-trailer at a truck stop in Scott City, Mo., then had sex with her.

The girl described another occasion in June or July and four more during the month of September.

She said Shumate bought her a car to make up for the abuse and tormented her if she refused to cooperate.

Shumate spent the 1984 football season as quarterback for Southeast Missouri State University.

At the time, the 23-year-old sophomore said he hoped to continue playing football and eventually be drafted by the professional leagues.

By the next spring, Shumate was jailed for a stolen check scheme and spent the next several years in and out of jail on charges ranging from driving while intoxicated to assaulting a police officer to possession of methamphetamine.

In 1990, Shumate pleaded guilty to a felony charge of possession with intent to distribute Valium and received a 10-year suspended sentence.