POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- A 55-year-old man faces sodomy and rape charges after allegations of sexual abuse incidents come forth 22 years later.
The Poplar Bluff Police Department said an investigation into the matter was opened on August 25, 2023, for allegations of sexual abuse which involved a then 17-year-old female and then 32-year-old James Hoyt (now 55) of Poplar Bluff.
Police said the allegations stemmed from incidents which allegedly occurred spanning from late 2001 and into the early part of 2002.
A probable cause statement was recently submitted to the Butler County Prosecutor's Office in regards to this investigation.
Poplar Bluff Peace Officer Shonna Grobe stated in the probable cause statement (PC) that she was contacted at the police department by a female regarding a complaint for an ongoing inappropriate relationship from 22 years ago.
The female explained to the officer she was 17 at the time and that it began the summer before her senior year in July of 2001 and lasted through the fall of 2002, according to the PC. She stated she was "groomed and eventually taken advantage of sexually, many times over the course of a year by the perpetrator, James "Jim" Hoyt."
The female later went to college and was physically removed from Hoyt, however, the impact of the abuse continued to affect her, the PC stated. She "stated she has been diagnosed with anxiety, panic disorder, treatment-resistant major depression, complex PTSD, and suicidal ideations. She stated she has severe panic attacks and flashbacks of being raped. She explained she suffers from chronic migraines, chronic nausea, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain syndrome, all of which can be triggered by trauma and abuse. She stated that with her mental health, there are no cures for her diagnosis. She stated she has been deemed permanently disabled and can no longer do many activities she once enjoyed."
The probable cause statement then highlighted an interview with police and Hoyt on the outside of his home on October 4, 2023. The officer told him about the report taken with the female a few weeks prior. The statement said Hoyt interrupted the officer and he began speaking about an instance where he kissed the female and how it was 100 percent consensual.
In the statement, Hoyt stated he was not a preacher at the time of his friendship with the female. Police later stated they were "able to disprove his allegation that he was not a preacher in the area at the time due to finding a prior website of his "Cheerful Heart Ministries."
A warrant was issued on October 13, 2023. Hoyt later surrendered himself at the Butler County Justice Center on October 16, 2023. He was booked and released on a $100,000 bond.
According to online court records, Hoyt faces two counts of forcible sodomy and one count of forcible rape.
He is due in court on November 6, 2023 at 9:05 a.m. at the Butler County Courthouse for an initial appearance.
