Ozark, MO – Christian County – Prosecuting Attorney Amy Fite announces that on Monday February 4, 2013 Joseph Flees joined the Prosecuting Attorney’s office as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney. Joe received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of Missouri in 2002 and his Juris Doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law in 2008. Prior to joining the Christian County Prosecutor’s Office, Joe served as a Senior Trial Counsel for the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corp where he prosecuted violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Joe also served as Defense Counsel for the U.S. Army Trial Defense Service and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
Mr. Flees in his current duties will carry a felony case load that will primarily include child pornography and sexually related cases. He was hired to fill a current vacancy in the office due to Assistant Prosecutor Donovan Dobbs transitioning to a part time position.

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Ozark, MO – Christian County Prosecuting Attorney, Amy J. Fite is very pleased to announce that for the second year in a row the office has come in under budget. In fact, the total expenditure from the general revenue fund after grant reimbursement for 2012 was $644,935.93 and this was less than the general revenue expenditure in 2011. With both 2011 and 2012 general revenue expenditures being around $50,000 less than the 2010 expenditure of $701,100.62

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Ozark, MO – Christian County Prosecuting Attorney, Amy J. Fite announced today that JEFFERY DENTON, dob: 11/22/1967 of Conway, Missouri was sentenced to six years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the class C felony of stealing and six years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for the class C felony of passing a bad check. A jury found him guilty of both counts on October 23, 2012. The jury had recommended that Denton be sentenced to six years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on each count. The Honorable Mark Orr ordered that the sentences for each count were to run consecutive to each other.

JEFFERY DENTON was found guilty of giving a check on a closed account to purchase a home in Nixa on September 7, 2007. The account had been closed since 2005. Denton then remained in the home without paying anything until March of 2008. The owner of the home testified that Mr. Denton kept giving different deadlines as to when he would make payments but that each deadline passed without payment.

DENTON has been convicted of two felony charges for passing a bad check.   He currently is on probation for passing a bad check out of Barry County.  Further, Denton currently faces a felony charge for passing a bad check in Greene County.

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Christian County Prosecuting Attorney, Amy J. Fite presented the 2012 Annual Report to members of the Christian County Commission on December 20, 2012. Missouri Law requires that an annual report be prepared and filed with the County Commission once a year.

To review the 2012 annual report presented to the Commission please click the link below:

2012 ANNUAL REPORT

OZARK, MO – The Christian County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced today that on December 14, 2012 Patrick Noel; dob: 1/19/1984 formerly of Wheatland, Missouri was sentenced by the Honorable Judge Mark Orr to seven (7) consecutive seven (7) year sentences for a total of forty-nine (49) years in the Department of Corrections. On October 23, 2012, in front of the Honorable Judge Orr, Patrick Noel entered an Alford plea to two counts of statutory rape in the second degree that had been amended down from higher charges pursuant to a plea agreement as well as pleading guilty as charged to five counts of statutory rape in the second degree. This guilty plea was entered pursuant to a plea agreement that included two counts being amended to lesser charges and some counts being dismissed. There was no agreement to the term of sentence the defendant would serve but per the plea agreement the State of Missouri announced its intention to request the defendant serve the maximum on each count pled to and for the defendant to serve those counts consecutively for a term of forty-nine years.

At the time of the offenses, the defendant along with his wife and children were long-term house guests in the home of the family where the two victims lived. The two victims were 13 years old and 15 years old during the time frame they were victimized by the defendant.

The range of punishment for statutory rape in the second degree is one day to seven years incarceration and/or a fine up to $5,000. Currently, the defendant will have to serve a minimum of thirty-three percent (33%) of each sentence before being eligible for parole. Thus, the minimum term the defendant can serve before being eligible for parole is 16 years and two months. The defendant will be required to complete the Missouri Sex Offender Program before being eligible for parole. Once released on parole, the defendant will be on parole for the remainder of the forty-nine year sentence. The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender.

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