A 25-year-old Marshall man was found guilty in a case involving the sexual assault of two 3-year-old victims during a court proceeding earlier this week in Lafayette County.
According to a news release from Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Don Stouffer, Mark T. Hughes was charged with two counts each of a Class A Felony for First-Degree Child Molestation and a Class D Felony Endangering the Welfare of a Child in the First Degree after authorities determined he transferred an STD to each of the victims in Saline County sometime in January 2018. Medical professionals at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City assisted in the treatment and diagnosis of the two victims, and a doctor stated there was no possible way the victims could have contracted the disease other than sexual contact.
Online court documents say Hughes’ case was transferred to Lafayette County Circuit Court in April, and on Thursday, December 13, the Lafayette County jury took five hours to find Hughes guilty as charged. According to Stouffer, Hughes could face up to 70 years in prison.
Hughes’ sentencing hearing is pending at Lafayette County Circuit Court.