'Predatory sexual offender' gets 5 life sentences in Stoddard County

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. — A Dexter man received multiple life sentences Monday after a jury recently found him guilty of child sex charges in Stoddard County.

Jerry Michael Pierce was sentenced to five consecutive terms of life imprisonment as a predatory sexual offender by Presiding Circuit Judge Robert N. Mayer, according to Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver. Mayer further set Pierce's minimum parole eligibility at 30 years for each count, meaning he will not be eligible for parole for 150 years.

On March 29, a Stoddard County jury found Pierce guilty of four counts of first-degree statutory sodomy; one count of first-degree statutory rape; and one count of second-degree child molestation.

The jury also found Pierce to be a "predatory sexual offender" because of a prior offense — which was not prosecuted — against another child in 1983 in Michigan.

"I am so proud of the brave victims in this case standing up to this predator," Oliver said. "There are no winners in cases like this. Multiple children have suffered greatly at the hands of the defendant for years."

Oliver said the jury's verdict and Mayer's sentence ensures Pierce will never take another step as a free man the remainder of his life and will die in prison.

Oliver commended the local Child Advocacy Centers who provided support and counseling for the children as well as the families of the victims who stood by them.

Because of the sensitive nature of the crime and to protect the identity of the victims, Oliver said no further details will be released.