Morley man charged with misdemeanor bigamy

Douglas Alan Wilson, 54, of Morley, Missouri, is charged with misdemeanor bigamy after his Missouri wife filed a complaint with the Scott County Sheriff’s Department about his wife in Oregon.

Wilson was married to a woman in Missouri in October 2014, according to the probable-cause statement from Scott County Sheriff’s Detective Darrin Sides. That woman found out about Wilson’s other marriage Feb. 20, according to the statement.

Sides contacted Wilson’s wife, who lives in Boring, Oregon, according to the statement. The woman in Oregon told the detective said she was married to Wilson in February 1987 in Contra Costa County, California, but they have not lived together for 15 years.

Wilson reportedly told his wife in Oregon he planned to marry a woman in Missouri, then she asked for a divorce. She said she has asked Wilson for a divorce several times since they were separated, but Wilson told her she could not afford a divorce, according to the statement.

Both wives gave Sides marriage certificates. Sides found Wilson’s application for a marriage license for his second marriage, and it states his previous marriage was terminated in March 2010.

Wilson told Sides he filed papers for divorce in California, but failed to ensure he was divorced. Wilson went on to say he never went to court for the divorce and was never issued a divorce decree, according to the statement.

Wilson has been issued a summons to appear in court for a criminal case in front of Circuit Court Judge Scott Horman at 9 a.m. March 1. In the probable-cause statement, Sides wrote he did not think Wilson would appear in court in response to a summons.

“Douglas Wilson has no family in Missouri besides (the victim) and states that he has nowhere to live,” Sides wrote. “(Wilson) has daughters who live in California and has stated he is planning to stay with one of his daughters. ... Additionally, it will be impossible to ensure that a criminal summons is served to Wilson due to the fact that he does not know where he will be residing if he were to remain in Missouri.”

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

Morley, Mo.