Guilty plea entered in statutory rape case

A Jackson man pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of second-degree statutory rape of a teenage girl.

Daniel Phillips, 25, of 205 Jacquie Lane, entered his plea before Circuit Judge David A. Dolan in Mississippi County.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped two counts of child molestation, one count of first-degree statutory rape, eight counts of second-degree statutory rape and four counts of statutory sodomy, according to court records.

Phillips was arrested in early 2005 after a two-day police search for runaway girl from Oran, Mo., ended when the girl was found in a Cape Girardeau motel, police said.

Further investigation revealed that Phillips and the girl had sexual contact numerous times since the summer of 2002 when the girl was 13 years old.

Sentencing was scheduled for May 9, and prosecutors were recommending a seven-year prison term.