Eldon man sentenced to prison for sex with minor

A judge sentenced an Eldon man to prison for engaging in illicit sexual activity with a minor, officials said.

According to a news release from the Office of the U.S. Attorney Western District of Missouri, the judge sentenced James Guthrie III, 37, to 15 years in prison without parole.

Guthrie traveled to North Carolina on five occasions to engage in illicit sexual activity with the victim over a two-year period.

Guthrie pleaded guilty to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor in November 2018. He admitted to going to North Carolina for work and, while there, met the victim at hotels for sex. Guthrie said he would pick up the victim from school or her house, and, once, the victim’s father brought her to the hotel.

Accoring to court documents, Guthrie met the child online.

The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Lebanon Police Department and the Lake Area ICAC Task Force.

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