A former Missouri State University student accused of sexually assaulting another student in a dorm room in 2021 pleaded guilty on Friday to two counts of second-degree sodomy and one count of second-degree sexual abuse, according to court records.
James Patrick Withouse, 23, was sentenced to seven years in prison but given a suspended execution of sentence and must complete five years of supervised probation.
Withouse was also charged with first-degree sodomy or attempted sodomy and first-degree rape or attempted rape. In exchange for Withouse’s guilty plea, those two more serious charges were dropped.
A female student reported the assault happened in a dorm room on the Missouri State campus in Springfield on Feb. 28, 2021. The victim went to the hospital for an exam that night and called police a few days later.
According to a probable cause statement from the Springfield Police Department, the victim invited Withouse to her dorm to watch a movie.
The report said Withouse made multiple sexual advances toward her, which she refused. She went to the bathroom and came back, and that's when she said Withouse forced himself on her. She later told a friend and her residence hall’s assistant hall director.
One of her friends drove her to Mercy Hospital for a sexual assault examination.
A spokesperson for Missouri State University declined to comment about the incident, but confirmed Withouse was last enrolled at the university spring of 2021.
