JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI (April 19, 2018)
A Jefferson City man was sentenced today to two 20 year sentences for sexually assaulting a three year old child. A Cole County jury found Kevin Struempf, 33, guilty of two counts of first degree statutory sodomy on March 21, 2018, following a three day jury trial. Judge Patricia Joyce presided over the case and decided Struempf’s sentence. The sentences are to run consecutive to one another, and Struempf will not be eligible for probation or parole until eighty-five percent of each prison sentence is served.
Struempf was previously convicted of these charges following a jury trial in August of 2017, but was granted a new trial after the judge found that the then four year old child victim was not properly sworn by the court when she testified.
Struempf was charged in November of 2015. The charges stem from the child victim’s disclosure that Struempf touched her privates with his hand and put his penis in her mouth. Injuries consistent with sexual assault were observed to the child victim’s genital area by medical personnel.
Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Tristin M. Estep and Meghan E. Woolery tried the case for the State. The attorneys express gratitude to the many people who helped bring this case to trial, including the child victim’s guardian, who has been diligent and patient on the long road to justice, and Detective Jon Kempker of the Jefferson City Police Department, who investigated the case. A pivotal member of the prosecution team is Christina Binkley, one of the office’s victim advocates, who has been working with the family of the victim from the onset of charges. Above all, the attorneys are thankful to the jurors for their attentiveness during trial, allowing them to reach a just verdict as supported by the evidence. Their verdict sends a message that crimes against children will not be tolerated in Cole County.
