Dennis Purdy Pleads Guilty To Sexually Abusing Two Girls, Sentenced To 20 Years

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. — Dennis Purdy, accused of sexually abusing a teenage employee and another young girl beginning when she was eight years old, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his crimes.

Purdy hobbled into a Camden County Courtroom at 1:30 P.M. on Tuesday, July 18, 2017, wearing striped jail clothing and leg shackles to meet his final judgment in both sexual abuse cases.

The former owner of Dairy Queen in Camdenton, Purdy had first faced charges for sexually abusing a teenage employee in the restaurant’s basement. That charge came in 2013, and he entered an Alford plea in May of 2016—tantamount to a guilty plea. But discrepancies in his testimony led Judge Kenneth Hayden to throw out the plea and recuse himself from the case. Purdy was reset for trial in August of 2017. Then, in June, he was charged with 10 new counts of sexual abuse, relating to a separate victim who prosecutors say he abused even while he was out on bail for the initial charge. Purdy had been abusing her since she was eight years old, according to a court document.

On Tuesday, July 18, Purdy opted not to take the cases to trial and took a plea bargain. He entered guilty pleas for a total of four charges. He was sentenced to five years for each charge, and those sentences will run consecutively (totaling 20 years).

Plea Agreement Specifics

In the plea agreement, Purdy withdrew his plea of not guilty to all counts in the oldest case and entered a plea of guilty to an amended charge of a Class C Felony of Sexual Assault and a Class A Misdemeanor of Sexual Misconduct. For the Sexual Assault charge, Purdy was sentenced to a five-year term of incarceration with the Department of Corrections. For the misdemeanor Sexual Misconduct charge, Purdy was sentenced to one year of incarceration. Those sentences will be served concurrently (at the same time).

Regarding the newest case filed in June 2017, Purdy withdrew his plea of not guilty to all counts and entered a plea of guilty to an amended complaint listing three separate counts of Class C Felony, Statutory Sodomy in the 2nd Degree. The negotiated plea agreement between Prosecuting Attorney Michael Gilley and the defendant included a sentence of incarceration for five years with the State Department of Corrections. However, these three periods of incarceration will be served consecutively, and these sentences begin after completion of the first five-year sentence.

The effective time of incarceration will be 20 years according to the plea agreement. It's not currently clear when, if ever, Purdy would be eligible for parole.