Dustin Platner, 42, was found guilty of sexual abuse in the second degree following a jury trial Friday, July 21.
The verdict draws to a close a case that the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department has been working on for more than three years. That delay is unusual, noted Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department chief Doug Shannon.
“Some of that was due to COVID-19,” Shannon said. “But even after that, it’s not usual for a case like this to last so long between charges and going to court.”
This court case preceded the merger of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department, with former Mount Vernon officer Morgan Mehlert leading the investigation, and officers Amy Ford and Jeff Frankfurt from Lisbon assisting in the case. Mehlert has since moved on to a different department.
“It’s one of those instances where our two departments worked really well together even before the merger of the department to do a thorough investigation that has now led to a conviction and guilty verdict,” Shannon said after the case concluded.
Platner was arrested following the investigation of an incident of sexual abuse that happened at Mount Vernon Nature Park on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
Officers found two male subjects in the park at the time, but the victim, a 20-year-old female, had left the scene before officers arrived.
The victim was located and transported to a local hospital, where she was treated and released. The investigation in the incident led to the arrest of Platner for sexual abuse in the second degree.
Platner was originally arrested for the crime, but was later released pending trial.
His case was heard by a jury beginning Wednesday, July 19, after numerous delays. The jury in the trial began deliberations Thursday, July 20, and arrived at a verdict Friday morning.
Platner is now incarcerated at the Linn County Corrections Center with no bond. Sentencing on the case is slated for October. Platner could be facing a maximum of 25 years in prison on the charge, a Class B felony.