Purdy found guilty on charges of rape

The trial of a Hoyt resident charged with sexual crimes involving a 3-year-old girl ended sooner than attorneys said they expected with a pair of guilty verdicts on Tuesday afternoon in Jackson County District Court.

Following an hour of deliberations, a jury found Theodore J. Purdy III, 26, guilty on charges of rape and aggravated indecent liberties with a child in an incident or incidents that reportedly occurred in September or October of 2016.

Purdy now faces sentencing on the charges at a June 15 hearing and was remanded to the Jackson County Detention Center until then on a motion  by Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller.

A three-day trial had originally been scheduled for Purdy, but with Miller only bringing two witnesses to the trial and Holton defense attorney Jason Belveal calling only two witnesses — Purdy and his father — the trial ended on the same day it began.

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