Theodosia couple sent to prison for statutory sodomy of 8-year-old


David Bauer

Tiffany Bauer

Theodosia-area husband and wife defendants David Bauer, 55, and Tiffany Bauer, 33, were sentenced to the Missouri Department of Corrections at a hearing before Associate Judge Elizabeth Bock Monday in connection with a conviction of sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl. According to online court records, David Bauer has been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Tiffany Bauer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Tiffany’s sentencing was made under RSMo 559.115.5, a statute often referred to as the sex offender assessment unit, according to the Missouri online court website. The sex offender assessment unit provides intensive assessment regarding the risk an offender poses to the community and the offender’s amenability to treatment within a community setting, the website says. The unit does not provide treatment. “It does assist the Court in making a decision whether to release the offender back to the community,” according to online sources. However, online court records indicate that “statutes in conflict whether [Tiffany is] eligible for the program.” David’s sentencing was not made under the statute.
A sentencing assessment report prepared by the Missouri Department of Corrections’ Board of Probation and Parole, which includes a recommended sentence based on the offenders’ risk level, nature and severity of the offense, prior criminal history and other relevant factors, was reviewed during the hearing. A victim-impact statement was also read to the court.
The sentences come after the pair were found guilty by court trial of statutory sodomy in the first-degree of a child younger than 12, an unclassified felony charge. Bock entered the guilty verdicts Jan. 8 after she took the case under advisement following a Nov. 2, 2017, court trial. Bock found the Bauers not guilty of an additional charge of statutory rape in the case.

The allegations
The case came to light in April 2015 after the Missouri Division of Children’s Services received a hotline call alleging educational neglect for a girl who had lived with the Bauers from August 2014 to March 2015 when she was 8 years old. The hotline call, received shortly after the girl moved to Branson to live with her father, alleged that she had forgone public school or homeschooling during the time she lived with the Bauers in Theodosia. When a children’s service worker went to a Branson-area school to speak with the girl about the lack of schooling, she reportedly told the worker she had been involved in sexual acts with David while Tiffany was present.
An interview was set up with the child at the Child Advocacy Center, and the girl reportedly detailed sexual intercourse and other sexual abuse in detail, including details about pornography and toys that were used. The girl also used an anatomical drawing of a human to point out and describe the abuse to the CAC worker. When asked how often the abuse occurred, the girl told the worker, “Everyday. Everyday. Everyday.”
Ozark County Chief Deputy Winston Collins testified at the trial that the Bauers were fully cooperative with law enforcement during the course of the investigation.  Both David and Tiffany have adamantly denied all allegations and said they believed the child was coached by the girlfriend of the girl’s father to report the allegations.

 

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423