A Joplin man waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court on a charge of second-degree statutory rape.
Christian G. Dobbs, 25, 314 N. Harlem Ave., was ordered bound over for trial by Associate Judge Richard Copeland. The judge set Dec. 14 for the defendant’s initial appearance in a trial division of the court.
Dobbs is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old girl in July in Carl Junction. The alleged offense was brought to the attention of the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department when the girl’s mother read about it in her daughter’s diary.
