 Four girls ages 15 to 16 were hanging out on the Clinton downtown square. They met up with 2 boys, one 16 and the other 18. The group decided to obtain alcohol and have a party. The sixteen year old boy reportedly procured the liquor through his brother. The group went to a residence in Montrose and most of them proceeded to drink the liquor. At some point it was suggested that someone obtain some marijuana. A 28 year old Montrose resident was called and he went to the party and supplied some marijuana which was smoked by some of the people there. One of the girls became intoxicated to the point of passing out. Some of the rest of the group decided to play a prank on her and over a period of time they placed substances such as salad dressing, mayonnaise and soft drinks on her. In addition to having these things on her she apparently vomited. When sunrise arrived the person whose home it was wanted all the people out before his father got home from working a night shift. The girl who had had substances placed on her was in and out of consciousness, still sick and covered with substances. The person who drove them there apparently did not want her soiling the passenger compartment of the car so the stupid decision was made to place her in the trunk. According to those involved, the girl was wearing clothing when she went into the trunk. The 18 year old whose home it was assisted in placing the girl into the trunk. He remained at his home and the others, all under the age of 17 left with the girl in the trunk. Someone in the group at some point suggested that the girl be left on old 18 Highway West of Clinton. Not everyone in the group agreed with that plan, however, she was left in a gravel parking lot on land managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. There is some dispute about the condition of her clothing at the point she was left in the parking lot. It is known that she was wearing panties or bikini bottoms, a torn bra and a shirt that was partially off of her when she was found by a Conservation Department employee a short time after she was left. She was not completely naked as was stated in some social media discussions. The father of one of the other girls was already on his way to the area to look for the girl after his daughter got home and told him about what had happened. He arrived at the scene shortly after the sheriff’s deputy and ambulance arrived. All of the parties involved who were willing to make a statement were interviewed and the girl who was left at the parking lot examined by a specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner. There is no evidence that she was raped or beaten. Prosecutor Shields said he would like to thank the Henry County Sheriff’s Department for their thorough and unbiased investigation of this matter and their timely preparation of a complete report. He announces that the following charges have been filed against the following persons: Lucas Hetherington, 18, Montrose is charged with the class C felony of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the first degree in violation of Section 568.045.1(3)RSMo. That charge alleges that Hetherington knowingly aided or caused a child less than seventeen years of age to engage in conduct which violated the provisions of Missouri’s controlled substance laws. He is also charged with the class B felony of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance to a minor in violation of Section 195.212 RSMo. That charge alleges that he assisted and encouraged Hilton McCulloch to bring marijuana to his home to provide to persons he knew were minors. He is also charged with the Class A misdemeanor of false imprisonment for his role in placing the girl into the trunk. Hilton McCulloch, 28, Montrose is charged with the class B felony of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance to a minor in violation of Section 195.212 RSMo. That charge alleges that he knowingly delivered marijuana to the party for persons he knew were minors to smoke. David Bennett, 24, Clinton is charged with the misdemeanor of supplying intoxicating liquor to a person under the age of twenty-one years. The charge alleges that he purchased liquor at the request of one of the juveniles and then supplied it to him knowing it would be consumed by him and other juveniles. A class C felony is punishable by a term of up to seven years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000. A class B felony carries a penalty range of from 5 to 15 years in prison. The unclassified misdemeanor of supplying alcohol to a minor is punishable by up to 1 year in the county jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. All of the persons under the age of 17 fall under the jurisdiction of juvenile authorities. The Henry County Prosecuting Attorney has no jurisdiction over the disposition of their cases unless they are certified as adults. Prosecutor Shields has consulted with the juvenile officer and said that that is not likely to occur in this case. The names of juveniles are not public information as are the names of adults charged with crimes. Shields added that this case could have had a much more tragic ending. Some people made some very poor decisions. Though this girl was not raped and beaten, she could have aspirated on her own vomit, or fallen victim to animals or bad people. Some people took small snippets of information about the situation and drew incorrect conclusions about what had happened. They posted comments on social media. As rumors often go, others added their own speculations and soon the story had a life of its own. Some people were even commenting that some sort of vigilante justice should take hold of those involved. Prosecutor Shields said that he has met with the girl who as left in the parking lot and her family and they urge everyone to let the justice system do its job and respect their privacy as they deal with matter. Shields stressed that the charges filed and the facts set forth above must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in court and that the persons charged are presumed innocent. |
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Charges Filed in Henry County
