Missouri Ozarks couple sentenced to prison for sodomizing 9-year-old

A husband and wife in southern Missouri were sentenced to prison this week after they were both found guilty of sodomizing a 9-year-old girl.

A judge ordered David Bauer, 55, to serve 15 years, while Tiffany Bauer, 33, received 10 years.

The couple, from Theodosia, Mo., were charged with rape and sodomy following an investigation into a hotline call made to the children's division of the Missouri Department of Social Services in 2015. The caller alleged the Bauers neglected to take the girl to public school or give her homeschooling when she lived with them from August 2014 to March 2015, the Ozark County Times reported.

The newspaper said an investigator with children's services followed up with the girl at a Branson area school in the spring of 2015. In that interview, the girl said she had been engaged in sexual acts with David Bauer at the couple's home while his wife was present.

The girl also reportedly said pornography and sex toys were used during the abuse.

The Bauers denied the allegations during a two-day bench trial last November in Ozark County.

By January, a judge found the Bauers guilty of statutory sodomy but not guilty of an additional charge of statutory rape.

The case was prosecuted by the Missouri Attorney General's Office, which released a statement on Wednesday.

"Those who abuse Missouri's most vulnerable citizens will be prosecuted,” Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said.

This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Missouri Ozarks couple sentenced to prison for sodomizing 9-year-old."