Sedgewickville, Mo., man sentenced in statutory rape case

A Stoddard County judge sentenced Bryan J. Ellis of Sedgewickville, Mo., to seven years each for two separate charges of second-degree statutory rape, to run consecutively.

Judge Stephen R. Sharp assigned Ellis to the Department of Corrections, according to the Stoddard County circuit clerk's office.

Ellis pleaded guilty to the charges Sept. 17.

In January, Ellis was charged with first-degree statutory sodomy, first-degree rape and first-degree child molestation in connection with the sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.

The victim told investigators she decided to come forward after talking about the subject at school, according to the probable-cause statement.

On March 13, Ellis was charged with second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy in connection with a separate incident that occurred in 1997.

The victim of those crimes, a 14-year-old, reported the abuse to the Bollinger County sheriff's department, saying it occurred over a two-year-period.

Sharp recommended Ellis to the Sex Offender Assessment Unit at Farmington Correctional Center, a 120-day residential program.

According to the Department of Corrections, the program, established in 1994, is designed to assess community risks and sex offender treatment needs and advise the court as to release considerations.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611. extension 245