A Jefferson City man was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted forced rape, two counts of forcible sodomy and armed criminal action Tuesday morning at the Boone County Courthouse in Columbia.
Brett Courtney, 44, accepted a plea agreement from the prosecution on what would have been the first day of his trial, after being reminded by the judge that both sides were completely ready to start the process and the jury was ready to be selected. He was sentenced to 18 years per charge; all sentences will be served concurrently with the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Courtney was the owner of the former Tiki Room Bar and Grill on East High Street.
"We fully intended to go to trial with this one," said Cole County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Steven Kretzer. "We had offered several attempts at pleas, and they just decided to take one today."
While informing Courtney of his rights and his inability to appeal after pleading guilty, Boone County Judge Christine Carpenter had to check with defense attorney Dan Dodson if Courtney knew to what he was agreeing. Courtney answered yes that he was guilty and he knew what was being said to him, but he had poor recollection of the criminal event because he was under the influence of cocaine.
When a marshal approached Courtney's upset parents and asked if he could get them anything, Courtney's father replied: "Yeah, my son." Later while Dodson was telling the parents how and when they can see their son, he was overheard saying, "We just can't change the facts."
Courtney was charged with breaking into a home just two blocks from his home, about 1:45 a.m. July 9, 2012, and assaulting a 16-year-old girl who was alone in the home.
A police probable cause statement said Courtney "took physical control of the juvenile female by tying her up, forced (her) into another room and sexually assaulted her."
The victim said her attacker wore a ski mask and showed her what appeared to be a firearm.
"He struck the victim multiple times with (the weapon) and with a heavy glass object," the police statement reported.
The victim said her attacker "used force to touch" her breast and genitals. He also forced her to touch him, the police said.
"The defendant made sexually explicit remarks to the victim, indicating he wanted sexual contact," the report also said.
Prosecutors originally also included kidnapping and burglary charges against Courtney, but those two charges were dropped with the plea agreement.
Although police had been investigating the teen's assault for more than a week, Courtney wasn't connected as a suspect until later, when police were called to his home for a "possible suicidal/barricaded suspect."
Police responded to Courtney's barricaded home, but he wasn't there. However, they found evidence that included a dark-colored ski mask and dark-colored bag that appeared to be consistent with what the victim said she saw during the attack. DNA samples collected from Courtney's residence matched DNA from the victim.
A day later, officers apprehended him after stopping his vehicle and finding him in possession of a 9mm gun. At the time, he was being sought for a mental evaluation.