Probation granted in statutory rape case

A 23-year-old Joplin man recently received a suspended sentence and probation when he pleaded guilty to statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl.

Wesley F. Palmer changed his plea to guilty Aug. 9 in a plea bargain on a charge of first-degree statutory rape in Jasper County Circuit Court. His plea agreement called for a suspended sentence of seven years with five years of supervised probation, which was the judgment Circuit Judge David Mouton rendered in accepting the plea deal with the prosecutor's office.

The defendant wrote on a plea agreement form that he suffers from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anxiety but did understand what he was doing in accepting the plea offer and changing his plea to guilty.

A probable-cause affidavit filed in the case after a Joplin Police Department investigation states that Palmer contacted the girl over the instant messaging application Snapchat and revealed an interest in using handcuffs during sexual intercourse. He sent her a photo of some handcuffs and provided his address.

The affidavit states that when the girl went to his home, he handcuffed and sexually assaulted her.