Sex offender charged with harassing high school student at Cooper County gas station
Editor's note: This article and photo were updated after Brandes was booked into the jail.
BOONVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ)
A registered sex offender in Boonville has been charged after he allegedly groped and forcibly kissed a high school student at a gas station.
James Lester Brandes, 41, was charged on Friday with first-degree harassment and a pair of misdemeanors, fourth-degree assault and second-degree sexual misconduct. He was booked into the Cooper County Jail at 6:49 p.m. Friday, according to jail records, and a $10,000 bond was set. The warrant states he is barred from going to the gas station where the alleged crimes occurred.
Cooper County deputies were called to Boonville High School to speak with the victim after they reported the behavior to a teacher. The victim stated Brandes – who was described as a customer of the convenience store in the probable cause statement – had groped and kissed them without consent and allegedly made inappropriate comments, court documents say.
The student had stated that they were approached by Brandes for several months, court documents say. Brandes allegedly took their phone and added his contact information and began texting the victim, but they did not respond, the statement says. Brandes allegedly asked the victim how old they were, and when they stated they were 18, he allegedly said they were too old for him, court documents say.
The victim stated that at one point, they had to “elbow” Brandes in order to get him away from them after a time he grabbed them, the statement says. Video footage allegedly shows Brandes placing a cold non-alcoholic beer on the victim’s neck before kissing the back of their neck, court documents say. Video footage allegedly shows the victim was visibly uncomfortable and upset.
Multiple employees wrote statements describing Brandes’ behavior, the statement says. One of the statements claims that Brandes groped multiple women at the store.
Brandes pleaded guilty to first-degree child molestation and second-degree statutory sodomy on April 12, 2013. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty on Feb. 8, 2010, to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
