MAN CHARGED WITH MOLESTING GIRL

JACKSON, Mo. -- A 66-year-old man has been charged with sexual misconduct and child molestation for three incidents involving a 12-year-old girl, an assistant Cape Girardeau County prosecutor said.

Kenneth J. Barker, of 720 Olive St. in Jackson, Mo., appeared in court Thursday with his attorney, Allen Moss.

Barker is alleged to have touched the girl in a sexually suggestive manner on three different occasions this month, said Scott Lipke, assistant prosecutor.

All of the charges are class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in jail.

If a child subjected to sexual contact is less than 12 years old, the crime of child molestation becomes a class C felony, Lipke said. This is punishable by up to seven years in prison. If a person has previously been charged with a sexually related crime, child molestation automatically becomes a felony, he said.

Barker will appear in court Dec. 14 for a hearing before Associate Judge Gary Kamp.