Man pleads guilty to statutory rape, sodomy in Columbia; will be sentenced next month
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A former restaurant worker has pleaded guilty to a pair of child sex crimes.
Jesus Hernandez, 38, pleaded guilty in Boone County to second-degree statutory rape and second-degree statutory sodomy. He is being held at the Boone County Jail. He will be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 21.
According to court documents in previous reporting, Hernandez identified himself to a youth on the dating application Grindr as “Jesse” on Dec. 28, 2022. Police were called to University Hospital on Dec. 30, 2022, about a child who was sexually assaulted.
Hernandez allegedly portrayed himself as a 22-year-old with the fake name “Jesse” to meet users, previous reporting indicates.
The youth had spoken about the assault with a friend after they saw Hernandez walk into Las Margaritas on Southampton Drive, where Hernandez worked, according to court documents. The victim was shown a photograph of Hernandez and was able to identify him, court documents say.
