HEARING WAIVED IN SEX ACTS CASE

JACKSON, Mo. -- A 49-year-old anesthesiologist charged with paying a 16-year-old boy to perform sexual acts waived his preliminary hearing on Thursday, the Cape Girardeau County prosecutor's office said.

Darrel L. Minor of Scott City, Mo., awaits a hearing to enter a plea to two counts of statutory sodomy alleged to have occurred between April and August of 2000.

Minor, who travels to St. Louis several times a week to work as a surgical assistant in anesthesiology, admitted to sodomizing the boy on at least two occasions, a Scott County sheriff's investigator said in court documents.

Minor told the investigator that he had sexual contact with the boy in his vehicle while parked on a gravel road. The boy was paid with money both times, the documents state.

Minor continued to have contact with the boy and his three younger brothers in the weeks following the incidents, the investigator said.

He was taken into custody by Scott County deputies, and later was released after posting a $2,500 bond.

The investigator stated in a report that despite Minor's lack of a prior criminal record, he poses a risk for not appearing in court because of his profession and ability to relocate without financial hardship.

Minor had received training as a certified surgical assistant while in the Navy. Minor's training allowed him to work only under the supervision of a physician.

Several years ago Minor had worked for an orthopedic surgeon in Cape Girardeau, but the surgeon no longer resides in the area.

Minor has never been employed at St. Francis Medical Center, said Barbara Thompson, the hospital's vice president of marketing.

Southeast Missouri Hospital declined to say whether Minor was ever an employee.