Man who pleaded guilty to statutory rape in Columbia sentenced to four years in prison
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man who pleaded guilty last month to a pair of child sex crimes has been sentenced.
Jesus Hernandez, 38, pleaded guilty in Boone County on March 25 to second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy. He is being held at the Boone County Jail on an immigration detainer. He was sentenced on Monday to four years in prison.
According to court documents in previous reporting, Hernandez identified himself to a youth on the dating application Grindr as “Jesse” on Dec. 28, 2022. Police were called to University Hospital on Dec. 30, 2022, about a child who was sexually assaulted.
Hernandez allegedly portrayed himself as a 22-year-old with the fake name “Jesse” to meet users, previous reporting indicates.
The youth had spoken about the assault with a friend after they saw Hernandez walk into Las Margaritas on Southampton Drive, where Hernandez worked, according to court documents. The victim was shown a photograph of Hernandez and was able to identify him, court documents say.