Former McDonald County jailer faces rape charge in allegations from 1994
By Kathee Baird
A former jailer in McDonald County who allegedly made sexual advances on an underage girl last year is now facing rape charges related to a female inmate almost two decades ago.
Terrie Zornes, 47, of Pineville was charged last week with forcibly raping a 17-year-old inmate in March of 1994.
A former jailer in McDonald County who allegedly made sexual advances on an underage girl last year is now facing rape charges related to a female inmate almost two decades ago.
Terrie Zornes, 47, of Pineville was charged last week with forcibly raping a 17-year-old inmate in March of 1994.
Zornes is scheduled to be arraigned in Associate Circuit Court in McDonald County tomorrow (08-29-11) on the forcible rape of the inmate.
According to court documents, Zornes worked as a jailer between Jan. 1 and March 1, 1994, and had “complete authority over the inmate and her environment and welfare at the detention center. (The inmate) was ordered into the property room for sexual purposes, and due to her confined status lacked the ability, authority and mental capacity to resist for fearing for her safety and well-being.”
The statement alleges that Zornes attempted to alter surveillance video that showed him arriving and leaving the women’s pod of the jail, but that he failed to alter a clock visible in the video.
“This altered video did show a lapse in time on the clock on the wall in the video,” according to the probable cause statement.
Authorities recently learned of the alleged rape of the inmate while investigating another case.
On Tuesday, his trial on charges of enticement, statutory sodomy, sexual abuse and sexual misconduct with someone under 15 is scheduled to begin.
Prosecutors allege in that case that Zornes sent a fourteen year-old girl porn and made sexual advances on the teen between September and December of 2010. The girl told authorities that Zorn tried to molest her while they were in a creek and he later exposed himself to her and made the girl touch him.
In one text message, he reportedly said, “I’m sorry, babe, but if we can’t be together then I’m going to have to get tough with your mom.”
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