CASSOPOLIS (WKZO-AM) — A 67-year-old man has been found guilty of having sex with a young girl multiple times over a seven-year span on his Cass County farm.
The girl, now 15, testified against accused attacker Leon Watson during the trial, saying Watson would tell her family that he was taking her to his property in Vandalia for help with chores.
She didn’t tell anybody about what was actually happening there until she was about 14, when she notified friends and a school councilor that Watson had been committing the sex crimes in his home and in a barn since 2007. She then told the same story to sheriff’s investigators, despite Watson allegedly telling the child that nobody would believe her if she came forward.
Watson was convicted on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Both first-degree charges carry 25-year prison minimums, while the second- and third-degree charges carry 15-year maximums.
He will likely receive a life sentence when he appears in court again on May 13.
