SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) A southwestern Missouri fire chief has been convicted of three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy and one count of second-degree rape.
The Springfield News-Leader reports that 70-year-old Brookline Fire Chief Larry McConnell was found guilty by a judge Friday after a bench trial last month.
McConnell was indicted on the three counts last year.
Investigators say he raped a young woman at his farm and at the fire station. Court documents showed that the woman told investigators that McConnell forced her to have sex with him for more than a year.
McConnell faces up to 21 years in prison when he’s sentenced Jan. 24.
McConnell was taken into custody after Friday’s hearing. The judge said that if McConnell posts bond, he will not be allowed to work as fire chief.
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