(KANSAS CITY, Mo., AP) — Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says neither politics nor personal connections will play any role in her review of a northwest Missouri teen sexual assault case that has gained worldwide attention.
A Nodaway County judge on Monday appointed Baker to serve as a special prosecutor in the case of a former Maryville resident who says she was 14 in January 2012 when a 17-year-old boy gave her alcohol and had sex with her.
Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice initially charged that boy with sexual assault and a second 17-year-old with sexual exploitation of a minor, but he later dropped the felony charges and said the victim had quit cooperating.
Baker eventually will decide whether there’s enough evidence to refile charges in the case.
Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice initially charged that boy with sexual assault and a second 17-year-old with sexual exploitation of a minor, but he later dropped the felony charges and said the victim had quit cooperating.
Baker eventually will decide whether there’s enough evidence to refile charges in the case.
