Man sentenced to 18 years for MU campus rapes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- A man who pleaded guilty to rapes on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that 23-year-old Zachery Jones was sentenced Monday for first-degree rape and first-degree attempted rape. Boone County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Caldera says that prosecutors agreed to drop a first-degree sodomy charge if Jones pleaded guilty to the rape charges.

Court records state Jones sexually assaulted two women in March near the university. One of the women hit Jones and called authorities when she escaped. The other led him back to a dorm after being raped, allowing prosecutors to identify him from security footage.

A phone message left by The Associated Press seeking comment from public defender Tyler Coyle wasn't immediately returned.