Man Admits to Sexually Abusing 8-Year-Old After Giving Her Meth
January 3, 2018
- The Case of Undisclosed victim, 8
- Suspect Brett Pendleton
Washington, MO – A 48-year-old Union man sexually assaulted an eight-year-old in a hotel room and forced her to eat meth that he had rolled in toilet paper, authorities say. The girl told her mother, who took her to the hospital and reported the man to police, according to a news release from Washington police.
The man, Brett Pendleton, has been charged with felony counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and sodomy or attempted sodomy with a person less than twelve years old. Police say Pendleton rented a room with the child on New Year’s Day at the American Inn in Washington. The grade schooler’s mother arrived that evening, and the girl motioned for her to go into the bathroom so they could talk out of earshot of Pendleton.
Once alone, the girl showed her mother her body and said she thought Pendleton might have hurt her, police say. The mother took her daughter to Mercy Hospital, where she made a police report.
The girl told investigators Pendleton had sexually abused her several ways and forced her to smoke marijuana and cigarettes along with eating the meth. Pendleton was driving away from the motel when officers arrived, but they pulled him over shortly after.
Once at the police station, he admitted to abusing the girl and giving her meth, authorities say.
The Union resident has spent the past twenty years in and out of jail and state prison for a variety of crimes, including burglary, trespassing, failing to pay child support, driving offenses and the distribution, delivery or manufacture of drugs, court records show.
The state of Missouri considers him a persistent offender. Pendleton was jailed in the current case on $250,000 cash-only bail.
Sentencing Update
December 5, 2023, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced that his office obtained a 295-year sentence for Brett Pendleton.
In October, the Attorney General’s Office obtained convictions against Pendleton for:
- Statutory Rape in the First Degree
- Five counts of Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree
- Attempted Statutory Sodomy in the First Degree
- Child Molestation in the First Degree
- Abuse of a Child
- Two counts of Delivery of a Controlled Substance to a Minor
“I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children,” said Attorney General Bailey. “As Attorney General and a former prosecutor, I will work to obtain justice for victims, especially our most vulnerable. I’m proud of the work my office did in this case to do just that.”
Pendleton was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury in January of 2018. The charges stemmed from events on January 1, 2018, when he took the daughter of his girlfriend to a motel room, forced her to smoke marijuana and ingest methamphetamine, and proceeded to sexually abuse her for hours. The victim was located at the motel by her mother, who took her to the hospital to report the abuse.
The Washington Police Department initiated an investigation, and the investigation uncovered evidence that corroborated the victim’s account of what had happened to her. The victim suffered numerous injuries consistent with the sexual abuse she endured. The jury heard testimony from the victim and from law enforcement officers and medical professionals who were involved in the investigation and the victim’s medical treatment. The jury deliberated for one hour before returning its verdict.
The case was tried by assistant attorneys general Tristin M. Estep and Paige K. Wheeler, and the trial team included victim advocate Carrie Boessen and investigator Rob Jauer.
At sentencing, the court heard argument from the State on behalf of the minor victim, argument from the defense, as well as a statement from the defendant.
The court sentenced Pendleton to:
- Seven consecutive life sentences, plus 85 years, the maximum sentence authorized by law.
- Because life sentences are calculated at 30 years for purposes of parole eligibility, Pendleton’s sentence is calculated at 295 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
When pronouncing the sentence, Judge Hellmann informed the defendant that he had ruined the victim’s life and that this sentence ensured that he would not have the opportunity to create any additional victims.
