BLOOMFIELD — A Stoddard County man was sentenced Wednesday to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to first degree statutory sodomy.
Bobby Riddell of Bernie was sentenced by Circuit Court Judge Robert N. Mayer. The sentence was made consecutive to a previously imposed seven-year sentence in New Madrid County, meaning Riddell could spend up to 31 years in prison.
Riddell pleaded guilty to the statutory sodomy charge, which involved a victim under the age of 14, on Feb. 2. As there was no plea agreement between the defense and the prosecution, there were no restrictions on the sentencing range as a result of the plea.
A sentencing assessment report was conducted by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole and a sentencing hearing conducted Wednesday. The child victim and her mother testified as to the devastating effect that this crime has had on the child’s life, according to a press release from Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russ Oliver.
The abuse perpetrated by Riddell began when the child was 11 years old while living in Stoddard County and continued for five years in other counties as the child grew older, according to court information.
“We are very pleased with Judge Mayer’s sentence,” Oliver said of the sentence “The defendant will be ineligible for parole until 85% of his sentence is served. We were able to spare this child the additional trauma of testifying at a jury trial and also ensured that the defendant will be a very old man before he will ever be eligible for parole.
“Due to the sensitive nature of the crime and to protect the identity of the child victim, no further statement will be made by the Office of the Prosecutor.”