'Santa' suspect Moffat sentenced to 12 years for sexual abuse of girl

Judge Fred Copeland on Monday found a Jackson man guilty of sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl in the Jackson area and sentenced him to 12 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.

Jeffrey B. Moffat, 57, made an Alford plea — approved by Copeland — admitting there was substantial evidence in the case to find him guilty of first-degree statutory sodomy beyond a reasonable doubt but not admitting guilt.

Moffat abused the girl when her parents entrusted him to babysit their daughter between Aug. 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, at his house in the Jackson area, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau County prosecuting attorney’s office.

Moffat must serve 85 percent of the 12-year sentence under state law, according to the release.

He was known to play Santa Claus on the Iron Mountain Railway’s Polar Express for about two decades. Moffat was not accused of committing any crime while he acted as Santa.

“I treated him in this case as if he was a defendant in any of these types of cases,” assistant prosecuting attorney Julia Koester said. “He wasn’t acting in his role as Santa Claus.”

Moffat waived a sentencing-assessment report in the case, which would have given the victim’s family a chance to speak before he was sentenced. Koester said the family was pleased with Moffat’s sentence.

“An added benefit of the agreement is that the young victim will not have to relive the abuse by testifying in Mr. Moffat’s presence at trial, which is often very traumatic for children in these types of cases,” Koester wrote in a news release.

The victim already had completed a deposition in the case, where she was cross-examined by Moffat’s lawyer, Koester said.

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Pertinent address: 450 Main St., New Madrid, MO