Stoddard County man charged with statutory rape, sodomy

DEXTER, Mo. -- A 21-year-old Dexter man was in the Stoddard County Jail on Tuesday morning under a $15,000 cash-only bond. Joseph Morse has been charged with second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy. The charges, according to the office of Prosecuting Attorney Briney Welborn, stem from a report supplied to Dexter police by the father of the 16-year-old alleged victim. According to a probable-cause statement, the alleged victim's father reported to Dexter police March 24 that his daughter had sexual contact with Morse. The girl, according to her father, "has a lower mental capacity." Dexter police Lt. Trevor Pulley of Pulley said in his report that text messages between the victim and Morse were also confirmed, though the nature of those messages was not divulged. For each felony, Morse could face up to seven years in prison or a $5,000 fine.