A man from Poplar Bluff has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for recording his rape of a minor with an intellectual disability. U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk delivered the sentence on Friday.
The case came to light in March 2024 when the victim's mother reported Jason R. Hicks-Simpson to the Poplar Bluff Police Department. According to Hicks-Simpson's plea agreement, the victim revealed that he had been sexually abusing her since she was five years old and had threatened her life and her pets if she disclosed the abuse. Although Hicks-Simpson claimed it happened only once, investigators found videos on his phone dating back to May 2023.
Hicks-Simpson, aged 46, pleaded guilty in October at the U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor. Following this federal sentencing, he will face additional charges in state court.
The investigation was conducted by the Poplar Bluff Police Department and the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuting.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.
