Sikeston-area man sentenced to 50 years on child sex charges

EDITOR'S NOTE: A misspelling of Beedle's name and a reference to his age have been corrected.

IRONTON, Mo. -- An Iron County judge has sentenced a Sikeston, Mo.-area man to 50 years in prison on four counts of statutory sodomy and one count of statutory rape, according to a news release from Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster.

A jury convicted Jeremy Beedle on the charges that stemmed from his sexual contact with a 13-year-old in Ellington, Mo., in December 2006. Beedle was 24 years old at the time of the crime. The victim testified at the trial.

Beedle was also charged with first-degree statutory sodomy in a separate case based on events that took place in 2007. Beedle pleaded guilty to sexual contact with a 5 year old in that case and was sentenced to seven years in prison to run concurrently with his 50-year sentence, according to the news release.