Prosecutor Vows Fairness in Maryville Sex Assault Review

Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker says neither politics nor personal connections will play any role in her review of a northwest Missouri teen sexual assault case that has gained worldwide attention.

A Nodaway County judge on Monday appointed Baker to serve as a special prosecutor in the case of a former Maryville resident who says she was 14 in January 2012 when a 17-year-old boy gave her alcohol and had sex with her.

Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice initially charged that boy with sexual assault and a second 17-year-old with sexual exploitation of a minor, but he later dropped the felony charges and said the victim had quit cooperating.

Baker eventually will decide whether there's enough evidence to refile charges in the case.