Jones sentenced to 125-year maximum due to rape charges

Joseph L. Jones was sentenced to a maximum of 125 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after being found guilty on Feb. 13 of three counts of first-degree statutory rape, first-degree statutory sodomy, incest and providing pornographic material to a minor.

According to Cape Girardeau County's office of the prosecuting attorney, Jones was sentenced by Circuit Judge Benjamin F. Lewis after a three-day jury trial from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30, when Jones was confronted by the victim who was 12 years old at the time of his crimes.

The investigation into Jones' sexual assaults occurring in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger County was led by the state Highway Patrol starting April 10, 2020.