Newton County man sentenced to 20 years for child sex crimes

A man from Stark City, Missouri, has been given a 20-year prison sentence for child sex crimes.

32-year-old Matthew S. Stewart entered an Alford plea to two counts of Statutory Rape, two counts of Statutory Sodomy, and one count of Child Molestation for sexual assaults in relation to three victims in 2024.

The plea was entered into under North Carolina v. Alford, meaning Stewart did not admit guilt in committing the crimes  but did admit the Prosecuting Attorney has sufficient evidence against him to result in a guilty verdict.

Court documents say these offenses were discovered when the victims, aged 7, 8 and 10 at the time of the offenses, disclosed to forensic interviewers at the Children’s Center that the defendant had sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse with the two youngest victims and deviate sexual intercourse with the third victim in January of 2024.

“Matthew S. Stewart will be in prison where he belongs for the next two decades. We take these cases very seriously, and always attempt to weigh the continued trauma that the criminal justice system can sometimes inflict on victims with our pursuit of justice and holding these abusers accountable. This particular defendant took advantage of these young victims after grooming them, and while no sentence feels sufficient, we hope this resolution provides closure for these children and their families,” said William Lynch, Newton County Prosecuting Attorney. “We will continue to make an example out of those who harm children in our community.”