A Warrenton man convicted of sexually abusing his stepdaughter repeatedly over a nine-month period was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday. James H. Ballard, 48, was found guilty in July of …
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A Warrenton man convicted of sexually abusing his stepdaughter repeatedly over a nine-month period was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday.
James H. Ballard, 48, was found guilty in July of first-degree statutory sodomy, second-degree statutory sodomy, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and three counts of use of a child in a sexual performance.
Judge Anna Conn Forder, of St. Louis, sentenced Ballard to 30 years on the first-degree statutory sodomy charge. He received 15 years for each of the other six felony counts. The sentences will run concurrently. He was facing a maximum life in prison with no chance for parole.
Warren County Prosecutor Mike Wright had recommended a 50-year sentence, but was satisfied that Ballard would spend most of the remainder of his life in prison. He will not be eligible for parole.
“In my opinion, he doesn’t deserve any mercy,” Wright said. “It (sexual abuse) happened almost daily and at least every other day. It was going on for a long period of time. This guy is dangerous.”
In July, a Montgomery County jury convicted Ballard of sexually abusing his stepdaughter at their home in the 500 block of Highway U in Warrenton. The incidents began April 15, 2006, when the victim was 13 and continued through Jan. 7, 2007.
Law enforcement authorities previously said Ballard offered the girl methamphetamine in exchange for sexual favors.
After the hearing, a motion for a new trial was denied. Subsequently, a notice of appeal was filed. The case was held in Montgomery County after a change of venue was granted.
Ballard remains in custody at the Northeast Correctional Center in Bowling Green. He has been there since being taken into custody following his arrest in Mexico on March 21, 2007.
Ballard fled the United States and was on the run for two months after charges were filed, but Warren County sheriff’s Detective Scott Schoenfeld tracked him to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, located across the border from Laredo, Texas.
After he was arrested, it was determined that Ballard entered the country illegally. He was deported and released to immigration custom officials and the U.S. Marshal’s officers.
Ballard was previously convicted of a sexual offense in 1984 in St. Louis County.
