Man to serve 85% of sentence after pleading guilty to firearms charge

William Huelsenbeck will now spend at least the next 12 to 13 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to two charges on July 9 in Ozark County Circuit Court and a previous admission of violating his probation. 

Because of these guilty pleas and the probation violation earlier this year, Huelsenbeck will be transported to the Missouri Department of Corrections where he will serve 85% of a previous sentence for a December 2024 conviction of statutory rape. 

In that case, originally filed in 2022, he was found guilty of having sexual intercourse with a person less than 14 years old and was sentenced to 15 years in the DOC, SES, 5 years probation, lifetime supervision and requirement to register as a sex offender. An SES, or suspended execution of sentence, means a defendant will be sentenced to a prison term but will be placed on probation and will not go to prison unless they violate the terms of that probation.

On July 9, Huelsenbeck entered a plea of guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon by possessing a weapon and a felony controlled substance. Pursuant to a plea agreement, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon by possessing a weapon and a felony controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia with a prior drug offense were dismissed. He was sentenced 5 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on each count. The sentences will run concurrent with all other sentences. 

A probation violation was filed in March 21, 2025, when he was arrested for possession of a controlled substance – a direct violation of conditions of his probation. He was taken into custody and remained in the Ozark  County Jail until his probation violation hearing on May 15.

The July 9 plea is in connection with that March 21, incident when an Ozark County Special Enforcement Team executed a residential search warrant for an address in Wasola belonging to Huelsenbeck and one other person. According to the probable cause statement written by Ozark County Deputy Josh Sherman, several firearms, controlled substances, phone cases and phones, digital scales and other drug paraphernalia were found during the search.

Huelsenbeck pleaded guilty on Dec. 18, 2024, to statutory rape of a 12-year-old girl in 2008-09. Although many defendants are only required to serve as little as 15% of their prison sentence, Huelsenbeck will be required to serve 85% of his sentence due to statutory rape of a 12-year-old being on the “dangerous felony list.” Huelsenbeck was originally indicted on the charge by an Ozark County grand jury in February 2023. 

According to the probable cause statement prepared by Ozark County Sheriff Cass Martin, in October 2010, a teen girl came into the sheriff’s office and said that her ex-boyfriend had been messaging a 12-year-old girl and she believed he had also had sex with a 13-year-old girl from Thornfield. 

That led Martin to call the girl with whom the boyfriend had reportedly had sex with and request that she come into the sheriff’s department with a parent or guardian. The girl reportedly told the officer that her grandmother was aware that she was sexually active and that she had multiple partners, one of whom she said was Huelsenbeck. 

The complaint in the case says that the sexual intercourse was reported to have happened sometime between Sept. 2, 2008, and Sept. 1, 2009. 

Although the case was 13 years old, it was legally filed. According to Missouri Revised Statute 556.037, there is no statute of limitations to prosecute unlawful sexual offenses involving a person younger than 18. Although the court documents do not explain the lapse of time between the incident and filing, it could be in reference to victim’s ability or willingness to testify and work with authorities to press charges at the time.