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A Joplin man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on a statutory rape charge.
Nelson L. Coleman, 50, waived the hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court and was ordered bound over for trial by Associate Judge Richard Copeland. The judge set Coleman’s initial appearance for Dec. 10.
Coleman was charged with second-degree statutory rape in December of last year after an investigation by the Joplin Police Department. A probable-cause affidavit alleges that he sexually assaulted a child under the age of 17 on more than one occasion.
