Moberly man sentenced to 18 years in prison for child sex crimes
HUNTSVILLE - A judge sentenced a Moberly man to 18 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to child sex crimes.
Law enforcement arrested Carl Sheets in October 2017, and prosecutors originally charged him with more than a dozen child sex crimes. Sheets pleaded guilty in August to a reduced number of charges, including incest, attempted statutory rape and endangering the welfare of a child.
Police learned about Sheets' actions as early as September 2015. A Target 8 investigation looked into why it took so long to make an arrest and file charges. Randolph County prosecutor Mike Fusselman said victims of sexual assault may not be ready to immediately come forward or talk to investigators about what happened, and he tries to give them time to get ready to tell their story in court if necessary.
Fusselman said he had wanted to avoid a trial to prevent the victims from having to testify and publicly relive what they went through.
Sheets' wife Angie also faces charges in connection with the abuse. She's currently awaiting trial.