New judge assigned to Jetton assault case

Former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton's assault case will proceed with a new judge, KZIM KSIM radio reported.

Jetton is charged with second-degree assault stemming from a woman's claim that he hit her in the face several times and choked her during a sexual encounter.

The 42-year-old Republican was named in a complaint filed in Scott County Circuit Court. It alleges that on Nov. 15, Jetton hit Mary Elizabeth Lowe of Sikeston, Mo., on the head and choked her into unconsciousness. Jetton turned himself into Cole County authorities Dec. 7 and posted bond.

Judge Donald McCullin of the Saint Louis Circuit Court will be brought in to preside over Jetton's next hearing. His new court date is pending. Jetton was elected speaker of the Missouri House in 2005. He faces up to 7 years if convicted.

The change of judge ruling comes more than two weeks after Jetton's preliminary hearing, where Lowe testified against him.

Fourteen photographs were introduced into evidence at the hearing Feb. 24 and showed severe bruising to Lowe's face, neck and leg.

According to Lowe's testimony, she and Jetton were classmates in Charleston, Mo., and reconnected on the Internet social networking site Facebook. The beating allegedly occurred after the pair shared a bottle of wine and Lowe became incoherent, claiming everything was "very fuzzy." She blacked out several times, Lowe told a judge last month, and upon waking up a third time, Jetton was allegedly having sex with her.

Lowe admitted that in a phone conversation before Jetton's visit in November, the two discussed using a safe word -- "green balloons" -- during sex.

She suffered pain along her jaw four weeks after the incident, she testified, and still has trouble chewing and speaking.