Jury Returns Guilty Verdict In Child Molestation Case

A Grundy County jury found a Trenton man guilty of first degree child molestation on Thursday.
Grundy County Prosecuting Attorney Cristine Stallings said the jury deliberated about an hour before returning the guilty verdict against Robert Johnstone, a 36-year-old man who had been living in Trenton at the time of his arrest in July 2013. The child victim, who was eight at the time of the abuse, took the stand, as did her mother. Kim Grebner, a forensic interviewer with the North Central Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center, also testified and presented a 32-minute video-taped interview with the victim. Trenton Police Officer Jennifer Plummer also testified.
The jury deliberated about 30 minutes in the penalty phase, coming back with a recommendation of five years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Linn County Associate Judge Terry A. Tschannen, who presided over the case after being appointed when the defense asked for a change of judge, will hand down the formal sentence on Nov. 10. Ms. Stallings said there are mandatory minimum sentences that will be followed and noted that Johnstone will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, regardless of where he lives.
Ms. Stallings was appreciative of the work of all those involved in bringing the case to trial and getting a guilty verdict. In particular she noted the hard work of the jury.
“I appreciate the hard work of the jury. They were attentive all the way through the trial – probably the most attentive I have ever seen,” she said. “They worked very hard and took their job very seriously.”