Misdemeanor charge filed in alleged Maryville, Mo. teen rape
MARYVILLE, Mo. - A special prosecutor has filed a misdemeanor child endangerment charge against a Missouri man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Maryville two years ago when he was 17, reports CBS affiliate KCTV.
The Nodaway County Clerk’s Office confirmed to the station Thursday that 19-year-old Matthew Barnett was charged with second-degree endangerment of the welfare of a child. The charge was filed Thursday in Nodaway County Court in Maryville by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.
If convicted, Barnett faces up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, reports the station.
Caleb Clifford, Assistant Jackson County prosecutor, told CBS News’ Crimesider Thursday that he could not confirm whether charges were filed until after a scheduled hearing in the case which is due to take place at 1:30 p.m. CST. Baker is expected to hold a news conference following the hearing.
Baker was appointed in October 2013 to re-examine claims by the alleged victim in the case, Daisy Coleman, who says she was raped by fellow classmate Barnett at an alcohol-fueled party in January 2012. Barnett says the sex was consensual. CBS News generally does not name alleged victims of sexual assault but is naming Daisy because she and her mother have granted public interviews.
Nodaway County prosecuting attorney Robert Rice previously dismissed felony charges against Barnett over what he said was a lack of evidence and the Colemans' refusal to cooperate.
The case drew national attention following an Oct. 12 report in the Kansas City Star which delved into the alleged harassment endured by Daisy and her family and questioned Rice’s motives in dropping the case. Barnett was a high school football player and is the grandson of a prominent local politician.
On Oct. 16, Rice asked for a special prosecutor to take a new look at the case, and Baker was given that assignment.
The case was ushered back into the headlines on Tuesday following reports that Daisy was hospitalized Monday night after attempting to take her own life.
Melinda Coleman reportedly told Fox affiliate WDAF-TV that her daughter had attended a party for about an hour Saturday night and was then attacked immediately afterward on a number of Twitter accounts.
She said her daughter was in stable condition Monday night at a children’s psychiatric hospital in Kansas City, according to the station.
