Probation granted Indiana man in Lawrence County sexual abuse case

Jeff Lehr, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·1 min read

Sep. 24—MOUNT VERNON, Mo. — An Indiana man pleaded guilty this week to a reduced charge in a Lawrence County child sexual abuse case and was granted probation.

Thomas C. Barnett, 51, of Decatur, Indiana, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lawrence County Circuit Court to a misdemeanor count of sexual misconduct in a plea agreement and received a suspended imposition of sentence with two years of probation.

Barnett had been scheduled to go to trial this past week on two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy regarding contact with a girl under 12 years old in 2004 and 2005.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.