Rendleman to stand trial in May

BLOOMFIELD -- A Stoddard County man accused of a 2012 rape and abduction near Advance is slated to stand trial in the coming month.

Steven Clark Rendleman, 52, will face a three-day jury trial on May 20-22, 2014. The case will be heard in a Franklin County courtroom before Judge Gael D. Wood.

The trial has been delayed twice over the past year--once at the request of Rendleman's attorney, Ian Keith Page.

Originally set for Aug. 28-30, it was later rescheduled for Dec. 3-5, 2013.

Rendleman was originally charged with the unclassified felonies of forcible rape with aggravating acts, forcible sodomy and armed criminal action, the Class B felony of kidnapping, the Class C felony of felonious restraint, two counts of the Class A felony of assault of a law enforcement officer in the first degree, the Class D felony of property damage and the Class D felony of resisting arrest.

In November 2013, Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver said that he informed Rendleman's attorney of his intent to bring the rape charges to a separate trial from the law enforcement officer assault charges. Oliver said the two are separate offenses and should be tried as such.

In response, Rendleman elected to plead guilty to the Class A felony of assault of a law enforcement officer in the first degree and the unclassified felony of armed criminal action.

While the maximum sentence for a Class A felony is a life sentence, the unclassified felony carries no maximum sentence. As a result, regardless of the rape charges, Rendleman could serve the remainder of his life in prison.

Rendleman's arrest came in March 2012 after officers were alerted to the alleged abduction from an Advance bar and began the investigation. Stoddard County Sheriff's Deputy Tim McCoy pulled into a rural Advance cemetery where he found Rendleman and the victim. The victim ran to the police car and a car chase ensued that involved several gun shots fired by officers. After multiple attempts to subdue Rendleman with a tazer, he eventually conceded.

At the time of his arrest, Rendleman was not allowed bond. Judge Joe Satterfield argued he was a "danger to the community."

Sheriff Carl Hefner credited his officers for their hard work following Rendleman's arrest for having "saved the girl's life."

Oliver announced he will seek a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, due to Rendleman's multiple prior rape convictions in both Stoddard and Cape Girardeau counties.

The bar in question, Charley Brown's in Advance, has since closed its doors.