Wednesday, May. 07, 2008

Area man charged with statutory sodomy

By Miranda Wycoff

The Journal Staff

A Greenwood man has been charged with first degree statutory sodomy, deviate sexual assault and first degree child molestation.

Michael McNamara, 29, of Greenwood has pleaded “not guilty” to charges that he allegedly inappropriately touched a 6-year-old girl. According to a the probable cause statement by Det. Sgt. Robert Leslie of the Greenwood Police Department, the girl’s father brought her to the police department the day after the alleged incident took place. According to the statement, McNamara had been babysitting the girl and her two brothers on Dec. 29, 2007 while their mother was at work. While the boys were taking a shower, the girl told police she was laying on her mother’s bed playing a video game when McNamara came into the room. He allegedly lay down next to her and “rubbed his fingers on the outside of her clothing over her genital area and then reached inside her pants and caused her pain,” the statement reported.

According to the father, when the mother returned home that evening the girl told her what had happened, and the mother refused to believe it or report the incident. The mother then called the girl’s father and told him about the incident, and that she thought the daughter was lying about it.

According to Leslie’s statement, McNamara told police that when he was fixing the children lunch he heard the girl ask for help. He then told police he noticed the girl was having trouble pulling her pants up because they were too tight, according to the statement.

McNamara told police that while he was helping the girl with her pants, his hand slipped and he accidentally touched the front of her genitalia. He also said that he could have brushed against her with his right hand, and not known it because he was still recovering from a broken hand from July 2007, according to the statement. On April 30, 2008 the initial arraignment hearing was held and McNamara pled not guilty. The next hearing is set for June 11, according to Missouri CaseNet. A $50,000 bond was set for McNamara, according to CaseNet. He also is not allowed to have any contact with any child younger than 17 years old.

According to the probable cause statement, McNamara has previously been charged with assault, destruction of property, passing bad checks and numerous traffic violations. He also has a restraining order against him filed by an ex-girlfriend because he alledgedly threatened harm to her, according to the statement.