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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