Kenney D. Bell Jr., 33, of Jerseyville, Ill., has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree statutory rape of a person younger than 12 years old in Jefferson County. Jefferson County Div. 5 Circuit Judge Joseph V. Melenbrink sentenced Bell, who the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office lists as living Mineral Point, on May 21, court records show.
Bell was arrested on May 13, 2022, when he told a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigator he sexually assaulted a Jefferson County girl the day before. He told the investigator the assault lasted approximately one minute, the case’s probable-cause statement said.
Deputies were called to Mercy Jefferson Hospital in Crystal City the day Bell, who was 30 at the time, was arrested. The woman who called authorities said the victim was assaulted by Bell the day before, according to the report.
The victim was transferred to SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, where doctors found signs of trauma, the report said.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Shannon O’Neal prosecuted the case.