Cooper Co. man pleads guilty to sex crimes, sentenced to 20 years

A Cooper Co. man pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to sex crimes that occurred in Howard County and Cooper County.

50-year-old Raymond Stevens was originally charged in Cooper Co. for 16 counts of statutory sodomy and two counts of attempted statutory sodomy. He was also charged in Howard Co. with two counts of statutory sodomy.

Stevens was arrested in February following a decade-long investigation into sex crimes against multiple victims.

Stevens pleaded guilty to 2 counts of second degree statutory sodomy in Howard Co., and 1 count of first degree and two counts of second degree statutory sodomy.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and must serve at least 85% of that before he’ll be eligible for parole.

Stevens must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Cooper Co. prosecutors dropped 15 counts against Stevens after discussing the case with the victims, who approved the plea deal.