Miller County man headed to prison in child sex crime

KMIZ 17 — An Eldon man was sentenced to 17 years in prison Wednesday in a sex crime case involving a child younger than 12.

Luke A. Lessmeier pleaded guilty to one count of statutory sodomy in a Miller County courtroom. He will have to serve at least 85% of his sentence before he can be paroled, according to court records. He will have to register as a sex offender for life, county prosecutor Ben Winfrey said in a news release.

Lessmeier was charged in January 2020. Investigators alleged he committed the abuse in 2018 and 2019.