Sawtelle Found Guilty Again, Faces 100-Year Sentence

St. Francois Co., Mo. (KFMO) - A St. Francois County jury has found 57-year-old Jeffrey Sawtelle guilty of two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy. The verdict came Wednesday, May 28, 2025, his second conviction in three months.

Sawtelle’s stepdaughter from a previous marriage testified that he repeatedly assaulted her when she was in the fourth grade, around 2002 and 2003.

The case was reopened after a 2022 jail phone call revealed possible earlier victims. That call led Park Hills Police to identify the survivor who testified this week.

The jury recommended 50 years in prison for each count. Formal sentencing is set for August 4, 2025.