Noel man to stand trial on statutory rape charges

Apr. 15—PINEVILLE, Mo. — A 16-year-old girl testified Wednesday that James Wilcox engaged in sexual acts with her multiple times in November and December when she was 15.

The teen testified at Wilcox's preliminary hearing in McDonald County Circuit Court on statutory rape charges that she met the 49-year-old man from Noel through a friend of her father late last year.

"We had relations," the girl replied when Prosecutor Maleia Cheney asked her how well they knew each other.

She told the court that sometimes the defendant would come and pick her up and take her to his home in Noel. She believed the first time they had sex was in November. After that, they had sex at least 10 times, she said.

The teen said Wilcox threatened to hurt her if she stopped seeing him.

"One time he said he was going to burn my mom's house down if I didn't come back," she said.

Public defender Charles Oppelt asked on cross-examination if she ever told Wilcox how old she was, and she said she did.

"When did you tell him that?" Oppelt asked.

"When we first met," she said.

The illicit relationship came to light when her teenage friend showed her mother lurid text messages between Wilcox and the girl that were on the girl's phone. The friend's mother contacted law enforcement.

The girl's testimony was sufficient to convince Judge John LePage that there was probable cause for Wilcox to stand trial on counts of second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy. A McDonald County deputy's testimony regarding the arrest of the defendant in January was enough to persuade the judge to order him to stand trial on a count of resisting arrest as well.

The judge set April 22 for the defendant's initial appearance in a trial division of the court.