St. Joseph man found guilty on two counts of statutory sodomy

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- A Buchanan County jury found a St. Joseph man guilty on two counts of Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree on Tuesday.

According to a probable cause statement Dakota Slagle, who resided with a 12-year-old child, had been reported massaging lotion onto her genital area.

When the child's mother would go to work in the mornings, Slagle would also lay in bed with the victim, take his pants off and make her touch his genitals.

The child told her mother, and disclosed the same information in a forensic interview.

The acts occurred between 2020 through 2022.

The case was tried by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Monica Morrey and was assisted by Buchanan County paralegal Charity Johnston.

A final sentencing will be held on May 7.

According to a Missouri statute, the minimum sentence for sodomy is typically five to 10 years in prison, and the maximum is life imprisonment.