It appears that the list of criminal charges against a 19-year-old man in the St. Louis area will be growing, as more alleged victims have come forward against him. The Winchester man, who is currently sitting in jail with an increased $30,000 cash bond, is the alleged perpetrator behind numerous instances of sexual abuse involving teenage girls, activity which is being labeled everything from non-consensual intercourse to sexual assault and forcible rape.
From the recent reports, it appears more and more young girls have been coming forward with allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct on the part of the accused 19-year-old man. Some have apparently stated that they met the young man through Internet sites, while others claim to have encountered him at random times or locations.
The defendant’s original bond was set at $15,000 cash, but the increase was deemed necessary by the court due to the increasing number of alleged victims who have started to come forward. It does not appear that the prosecution in the case will have a full accounting of all of the proposed charges until they are satisfied that they have the stories of all of the alleged victims involved.
When it comes to facing sex abuse charges in the criminal justice system, defendants can expect the prosecution and the subsequent investigations to be extremely thorough. If there is a lack of physical evidence in a case, such as evidence which would be obtained through the use of a hospital “rape kit,” a prosecution case could be based primarily on eyewitness testimony of the alleged victims. In that case, it is extremely important that the criminal defense strategy encompass a detailed reading of the various stories, in order to point out any inconsistencies which are the tell-tale signs of false testimony.
Source: Eureka-WildwoodPatch.com, “More Charges in Sex Assault Investigation Involving West County Teen Expected, Police Say,” Gabrielle Biondo, Oct. 10, 2012
