PROSECUTING ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

2025 marked my 20th year working with the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. I started in 2005 as a part-time assistant and have now proudly served as the Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney since 2017. I am grateful for my talented and dedicated staff which includes: five full-time attorneys, four part-time attorneys, two investigators, two victim advocates and eight legal assistants. Together we are committed to seeking justice for the people of Jasper County. Not only do we prosecute those who commit crimes, we also provide advocacy, education and support to victims, witnesses, and their families. We work together with our law enforcement partners to ensure cases are being completely and lawfully investigated. We partner with other agencies such as the Children’s Center and the Lafayette House to protect and serve our most vulnerable citizens. We also seek to identify those persons who might benefit from the services of our treatment court teams to address substance use and mental health issues that so often contribute to criminal activity.

In 2025, the Jasper County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed more than 5000 cases referred by the 13 law enforcement agencies we serve. We filed 4810 of those cases, which is 93%. We obtained 3686 guilty pleas, including Scott Burleson who pled guilty to Murder in the Second Degree and was sentenced to life in prison. We convicted 15 child sex offenders, all of whom are now confined in the Missouri Department of Corrections for a combined total of 148 years. We tried four jury trials and one bench trial. One case ended in a “hung jury” and will be tried again in June of 2026. The other four cases resulted in convictions.

I am proud of this report, and the work it represents, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story, the countless hours, the passion, the dedication of the men and women called to Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly. We are grateful for the opportunity to seek justice for and on behalf of the people of Jasper County, and we are looking forward to another year of service.

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Theresa Kenney

Jasper County Prosecuting Attorney