Christopher R. Taylor, 43, Pottersville, has pleaded guilty to child endangerment without sexual conduct, and handed a seven-year sentence with five years of supervised probation.
The execution of the sentence is suspended as long as Taylor adheres to the conditions of probation, including having no contact with the victim through any medium or third party, nor employment as a coach, educator or teacher or as a volunteer serving in similar capacity.
The sentence was handed down Wednesday in Butler County by 36th Judicial Associate Circuit Court Judge Steven Lynxwiler on a change of venue and change of judge.
Taylor was originally charged in January 2022 in Howell County with three felonies, first-degree child endangerment creating substantial risk and involving sexual conduct, sexual contact with a student and fourth-degree child molestation involving a victim younger than 17.
The latter two charges were dropped by special prosecutor Tristin Estep of St. Louis as part of a plea bargain, court records show. Estep was appointed by the Missouri Attorney General's Office after concerns were raised regarding a potential conflict of interest with the Howell County Prosecutor's Office.
Taylor was a coach and teacher with the West Plains R-7 School District when the investigation was initiated by West Plains police on Jan. 31, 2022, four days after a student reported being sexually assaulted by a school district employee on district property.
West Plains R-7 officials were cooperative with the investigation and took immediate action, terminating his employment, and a condition of his bond was to have no unsupervised contact with any child younger than 18 without the court's prior approval.
