Longtime Mo. state trooper facing felony charge

Thursday, October 11, 2012

NEOSHO, Mo. (AP) — A retired Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper has been charged with sexually molesting an underage girl and assaulting another.

Seventy-year-old James D. Hall of Neosho turned himself in Wednesday at the Newton County Sheriff’s Department, posted a $5,000 bond and was released. The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/VUnZ3f) reported that he faces a felony count of first-degree child molestation and a misdemeanor count of third-degree assault. His attorney was in court Thursday morning and didn’t immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.

Authorities say both of the alleged victims were 11-year-old girls. The investigation began after a parent of one of the girls contacted authorities.

The Missouri attorney general’s office filed the charges and is prosecuting the case. Hall served with the state patrol from 1964 through 1997.

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Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com

More like this story

eileen10 7 months, 2 weeks ago

I feel people like this should not be able to get released. There should not be a bond set. They need to stay in jail for the safety of all children and a mandatory prison sentence 0f 99 years without parole plus sell every thing he has to help pay the cost when in prison and give him hard labor and stick him in GP so the other inmates who aren't in for molestation can take a whack at him.

Silverado_Phil 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Whatever happened to "innocent until proven guilty"? I can agree to not having a bond set for a repeat offender, but is this person really guilty or is this the result of a prank or vindictiveness by a couple of 11 year old girls? Based on this article, we don't know all the details. How can you pass judgement?

eileen10 7 months, 2 weeks ago

I can see I didn't make myself clear. when I said "people like this" I meant the guilty ones. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Had he been found guilty I would have jumped all over him by using his name. I realize he could be innocent because the facts aren't in yet. I'll be more careful in the future to say exactly what I mean.

Littleinvestor 7 months, 2 weeks ago

Look at his age. Sometimes the elderly with Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia become highly sexualized. Not saying that is what is going on, but hopefully his defense attorney will consider that possibility and check with his doctors, etc. If he is just a perv, I say send him to prison for life.

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