Former Queen City Pastor Pleads Guilty in Knox County Court to Sodomizing a Child

(*Video by Echo Menges for The Edina Sentinel & nemonews.net.)

According to court documents, just over one year ago, a young man, formerly of Queen City, MO, told investigators about being sexually abused throughout his childhood by his former pastor, George Charles Bradburn, 69.

Bradburn befriended the boy at age nine, who commonly spent time at the church assisting in various duties such as cleaning or helping out. When the child was 12-years-old, Bradburn began molesting him, which is stated in the Probable Cause Statement filed in the case.

According to the court documents, the molestation began in 2003 and lasted for six years until 2008 when the victim was 18-years-old.

The documents also state, Bradburn went out of his way to stay in contact with the child. After the child moved away from the area, Bradburn maintained contact with the family, often picking up the child for visits, bringing him back to Queen City and continuing to molest him.

Earlier this year, the case against Bradburn was moved from Schuyler County to Knox County after change of judge and change of venue requests were granted by the court.

On Friday morning, August 11, 2017, Bradburn pled guilty to committing the ultimate betrayal in a plea deal made with the Schuyler County Prosecutor’s Office.

Bradburn has pleaded guilty to two of the 14 felony counts of committing sodomy in the first degree, deviant sexual intercourse with a person less than 14-years-old.

The nearly empty courtroom was silent as Bradburn spoke the word, “guilty,” when asked by Second Circuit Presiding Judge Russell E. Steele, “How do you plead?” to each of the two charges.

After the proceeding, a Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy put a bulletproof vest on Bradburn and extra law enforcement officers arrived to escort Bradburn out of the courtroom, including two Knox County Sheriff’s Deputies and a Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper.

Bradburn is currently being held at the Adair County Jail. He is scheduled to appear before Judge Steele on October 6, 2017, to be sentenced for his crimes.

The Schuyler County Prosecutor Lindsay Gravett has recommended each charge carry a ten-year sentence and the sentences run consecutively.

Bradburn is facing a minimum of five years and a maximum of life in prison on each count.