The city police detective who investigated the 2016 allegations of child molestation against an Owensville man called a Franklin County jury’s guilty verdict Thursday a “fantastic outcome.”
Garry A. Woolery, now 65, was remanded into the custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections after a jury heard testimony June 29-30 and July 1 before Judge William E. Hickle who was presiding on a change of venue from Gasconade County.
“This was a fantastic outcome,” said Owensville Det. Rob Green who began the investigation into allegations of Woolery’s felony child molestation. The victim, now 12, testified last week in the case heard at the Franklin County Courthouse in Union.
“She was very credible in her testimony,” said Green.
City Marshal Robert Rickerd said Green investigated the case starting in early 2016. Woolery was charged with felony first-degree child molestation on Aug. 29, 2016, following a forensic interview with the child by the Children’s Advocacy Center of Central Missouri based in Union.
“Detective Green stated that the success of the investigation and prosecution of this case is because of the team work between all of the agencies involved,” said Rickerd.
“I am very pleased with all the hard work that went into this investigation from Detective Green.”
Woolery is scheduled to be formally sentenced when he appears before Hinkle again at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15. He faces up to 14 years in state prison and will have serve 85 percent of that time before he is eligible for parole, according to Rickerd.
Green testified during the trial and said the outcome was a “relief.” “It was a special case for me,” said Green. “It drug out for so long. There was a lot to lay on people’s shoulders. It was a relief to hear the jury come back with the guilty verdict. It’s a lot of weight lifted off of everybody’s shoulders. It’s done and we’re finally getting something decent out of it.”