Cape man gets 20 years for child molestation

A Cape Girardeau man was sentenced to prison Monday afternoon on charges of child molestation.

Judge Benjamin Lewis sentenced Brendon Max, 29, to 20 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Max received 10 years on each of two charges of first-degree child molestation. The terms will run consecutively.

The child's mother and Max's mother read statements to the court. The child's mother requested the maximum sentence -- 15 years on each count -- and Max's mother asked for leniency.

Before pronouncing the sentence, Lewis said it was "not the worst case of first-degree child molestation" he had seen. "But it's bad," he said.

A jury found Max guilty June 26 after about an hour of deliberation. A warrant for Max was issued in July 2014 after the child's father reported the molestation to police June 23, 2014, online court records show.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department and Beacon Health Center investigated the case. The child, who was 6 at the time, told authorities Max had shown his penis and made the victim touch it several times, according to a probable-cause statement.

Pertinent address:

100 Court St., Jackson, Mo.