John Young joined the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office in August of 2016.  John received his undergraduate degree in 1986 from Missouri State University majoring in Political Science and a minor in history. He received his Juris Doctorate from University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Law in 1989.

OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announces that on June 10, 2016, Beau Gormley DOB: 4/24/1985 of Republic, MO, was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Laura Johnson.

Gormley previously had pled guilty on April 15, 2016, to the charged count of statutory rape in the second degree. The incident occurred in June 2014 at a business in Ozark, MO. The victim was 16 and an employee of Gormley at the time the incident occurred.

At sentencing, the State requested the Court sentence the defendant to the Missouri Department of Corrections, and at the very least that the defendant be sent to the Missouri Department of Corrections under the Sex Offender Assessment statute. Defendant through counsel requested the Court place Defendant on probation.

The Court sentenced Gormley to seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections pursuant to S559.115, Sex Offender Assessment Unit.

The Sex Offender Assessment Unit is an intensive assessment program for sex offenders that provides a complete psychological assessment to determine an offender’s extent of psychopathology, risk to reoffend and amenability to treatment. It also offers basic relapse prevention education. The Sex Offender Assessment Unit is normally 120 days in the Mo. Department of Corrections. After the assessment is completed, the Court will be given a recommendation, and the Court will then determine whether probation should be granted.

Statutory rape in the second-degree is a class C felony. The range of punishment for a class C felony is a term of incarceration not to exceed seven (7) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections and/or a fine not to exceed $5000.

This case was investigated by the Ozark Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant
Prosecuting Attorney Anna Bunch.

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OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announces that Joshua D. Johnson, dob: 04-03-1989 formerly of Springfield, MO, pleaded guilty pursuant to a plea agreement on June 2, 2016 to one count of statutory rape in the first degree of a child less than 12, two counts of statutory sodomy of a child less than 12, and three counts of endangering the welfare of child first degree in front of the Honorable Senior Judge John Waters.  Per the terms of the plea agreement, JOHNSON received a total sentence of twenty-three (23) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.  The charges stem from offenses that occurred in a residence located in Christian County Missouri between February 1, 2012 and August 27, 2013.  The child victim was ages 6, 7, 8 during this time frame.  The child ultimately disclosed the sexual abuse at her school.   The child was forensically interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center in Springfield, Missouri.  Sgt. Shayne Duryea of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office was assigned to the investigation.

Judge Waters sentenced the defendant to nineteen (19) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on the one count of statutory rape in the first degree of a child less than 12, and nineteen (19) years for each count of statutory sodomy in the first degree of a child less than 12 with those three counts running concurrent and four (4) years on each count of endangering the welfare of a child 1^st degree with those counts running concurrent.  Judge Waters ordered counts II, IV, V to run consecutively to counts VI, VII, and VIII for a total sentence of twenty-three (23) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections probation was denied.

The case was prosecuted by Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite and was investigated by Sgt. Shayne Duryea of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office.

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OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced that on May 13, 2016  SHAUN M. BUDD DOB:  4/22/1998 of Ozark, MO was sentenced to TWELVE (12) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections by the Honorable Judge Laura Johnson.  Budd previously had pled guilty on 2/19/2016 to three counts of statutory sodomy 1^st degree with a child less than 12.  This plea was pursuant to a plea agreement wherein the agreed term of years was twelve (12) on each count to run concurrent with the State opposing probation.  On May 13, 2016, the State requested the Court to sentence the defendant to the Missouri Department of Corrections and defendant through counsel requested the Court to place Defendant on probation.  The Court heard arguments from counsel for the State and counsel for Defendant as well as the victim’s mother and the Defendant’s grandmother and step-father prior to sentencing Defendant to TWELVE (12) YEARS on each count to run concurrent and be served in the Missouri Department of Corrections with probation denied.

All three counts involve the defendant having deviate sexual intercourse with a five- year-old girl.  The acts occurred on July 22, 2015 at a residence in Ozark, MO.

This case was investigated by the Christian County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite.

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Shannon Stephens, a Victim Advocate in the Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, has been elected to serve a 3 year term on the MOVA Board of Directors. MOVA, the Missouri Victim Assistant Network, is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to promote fair treatment for victims of crime. The board is made up of 25 people from different geographic and service areas all over the State of Missouri. The board works toward making legislative, organizational and educational improvements for Missouri’s victims of crime, as well as for those who advocate for those victims. MOVA not only has been and continues to be a driving force in promoting change in the criminal justice system, but their work also includes conducting training and informational seminars on domestic and sexual violence for Victim Advocates, organizing events for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and working toward creating a community response to crime victims. Shannon is looking forward to representing Southwest Missouri, while being a part of a team of people who are all focused on working toward the goal of making advancements for and on behalf of victims of crime all across Missouri, and on a statewide level.

Ms. Stephens case assignment is predominately made of sexual and physical abuse of children.