Former Brookline Fire Chief Found Guilty of Sexual Abuse of Teen
- dpatterson
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Larry Gene McConnell, 76, of Brookline, was found guilty of one count of Statutory Sodomy in the Second Degree (Count 1) and one count of Rape in the Second Degree (Count 4) following a four-day jury trial in Greene County Circuit Court. The jury returned not guilty verdicts on two Statutory Sodomy in the Second Degree Counts (Counts 2 and 3).
Prosecutors presented evidence at trial that McConnell, who served as the Brookline Fire Chief, sexually abused a 16-year-old female cadet who also worked on his farm. In early 2016, the Defendant began touching the victim by holding hands, massaging her back, and cuddling her. The abuse progressed in 2016 when the victim was 16 years old and continued until approximately April 2017. The victim reported that she felt obligated to comply because McConnell was her boss and she wanted to become a firefighter.
Count I, Statutory Sodomy in the Second Degree, was the first sexual encounter and involved McConnell, who was over 21 years of age, engaging in deviate sexual intercourse with the victim, who was under the age of 17 at the time. Count 4, the Rape in the Second Degree involved the first incident in which McConnell engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim after she turned seventeen but had told him no.
Judge Jerry A. Harmison, Jr. presided over the trial and set the post-trial motions for March 20, 2026. This jury trial was a retrial required after an appellate court found that the defendant’s attorneys were ineffective in his initial trial in 2020.
“This conviction demonstrates that those who abuse positions of trust to exploit young people will be held accountable. I commend the victim for her courage in coming forward and staying the course through two trials, and I thank the Greene County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation of this case.” said Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Elizabeth Fax and Jacqueline Ledezma-Ruelas.
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