Jackson man faces child sex charges

Thirteen felony sex charges were filed Thursday against Jeffrey A. Wooldridge, 43, of Jackson, for allegedly fondling and performing oral sex on a teenage relative.

Wooldridge is currently in the Cape Girardeau County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. He faces 12 counts of second degree statutory sodomy and one count of incest.

Sheriff's department investigator Rhonda Westrich interviewed the girl making the allegations Wednesday.

The girl told investigators Wooldridge had molested her for the last three years by coercing her into various sexual acts as punishment for any wrongdoing. She told investigators she had lost count of the number of times it had happened.

According to Westrich's written probable cause statement, a recorded conversation between Wooldridge and the victim reveals him verbally acknowledging the previous sex acts and his intent to do it again because the girl had lied to him about going to a school dance.