A SE Missouri teenager charged with raping an 89-year old woman
A Doniphan teenager is to make his first court appearance today after being charged with raping an 89-year-old woman. The Daily American Republic’s Michelle Friedrich reports that Christopher Casteel is to appear at 9 a.m. before Associate Circuit Judge Thomas D. Swindle for arraignment. Casteel is being held in the Doniphan City Jail on $500,000 bond. He was charged Saturday by Ripley County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Miller. At about 4 p.m. Thursday, Deputy Earl Wheetley was contacted by staff at Ripley County Memorial Hospital about a woman who was reporting she had been raped. According to a probable-cause affidavit, she said had been staying with a relative at a rural Doniphan residence. She said Casteel held her on the floor, threw her onto the bed, causing her head to hit the window sill, and she lost consciousness for several hours. When asked why she hadn't contacted authorities earlier, the woman said her relative did not believe anything had happened and would not allow her to call anyone. During a Friday interview at the sheriff's department, Wheetley said, Casteel admitted to having sex with the woman without her consent and voluntarily provided a swab for DNA comparison to the items taken from the crime scene. Read more in the SE Missourian.
Written By: kzim
Date Posted: 11/19/2009 10:35 AM
Number of Views: 255
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