Mo. man accused of rape charged with misdemeanor
MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old schoolmate when he was 17 has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child endangerment charge as part of a deal with prosecutors.
Matt Barnett entered the plea Thursday during a court hearing in his hometown of Maryville. He was sentenced to two years of probation and a four-month suspended jail term.
The girl says Barnett raped her at a house party in January 2012. Barnett says the sex was consensual.
The local prosecutor dropped the case because he said the girl's family stopped cooperating.
A special prosecutor was tasked with re-examining it after it received widespread attention last fall.
