A Carthage man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Wednesday on charges that he sexually abused a girl under the age of 14.
After waiving the hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court in Joplin, Jose Rubalcava, 43, was ordered bound over for trial on two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy and one count of first-degree child molestation. Associate Judge Richard Copeland set the defendant’s initial appearance in a trial division of the court for Dec. 4.
Rubalcava is accused of molesting the girl first in 2006. A probable-cause affidavit signed by a Carthage police detective alleges that Rubalcava admitted having sexual contact with the girl about five times this year.
In another case of alleged sexual abuse of a child, a charge against a Joplin man was dismissed at the request of the Jasper County prosecutor’s office because of evidentiary issues. Assistant prosecutor Theresa Kenney said the charge of first-degree statutory sodomy could be refiled against Larry E. Walk, 57.
Walk was accused of performing an oral sex act on a girl under 14 on March 9 in Joplin, according to court documents.
