Court records: Iowa man accused of sexually abusing sister pleads guilty to lesser charge
Noah Exline will have most of his charnges dropped if the plea agreement is accepted.
Court records: Iowa man accused of sexually abusing sister pleads guilty to lesser charge Noah Exline will have most of his charnges dropped if the plea agreement is accepted. Check out this story on desmoinesregister.com: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2019/01/29/guthrie-center-noah-exline-paige-sexual-abuse-james-hubert-exline-greene-county-patrick-thompson/2715790002/
Tyler J Davis, Des Moines Register Published 9:41 p.m. CT Jan. 29, 2019
The final person accused of sexually abusing an Iowa girl before she was killed in an intentionally set 2017 fire may avoid jail time.
A guilty plea to one count of indecent contact with a child, an aggravated misdemeanor, was entered Monday for 21-year-old Noah Exline. The Jefferson man was originally charged with seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse against his sister, Melanie "Paige" Exline, but cut a deal with prosecutors, according to court records. Paige Exline was killed after her father was accused of sexually abusing her — one month after her brother, Noah, was arrested and accused of the same.
Noah Exline may avoid prison time after entering a guilty plea to one count of indecent contact with a child. (Photo: Luke Nozicka / The Register)
The state is expected to recommend a two-year suspended sentence, three years' probation and a fee of at least $625. A deferred judgment is not a part of the agreement, court records show, and the deal is not yet final.
Exline, in his guilty plea paperwork, admitted to touching the "clothing covering the inner thigh of a child (under 14 years old)."
Noah Exline was arrested in April 2017, one month after his sister was killed. Paige Exline had alleged that Noah Exline began taking advantage of her when he was 17 years old and she was 9.
Paige Exline (left) and Shakiah Cockerham (right). Picture taken during a memorial ceremony. (Photo: Bill Petroski/The Register)
He was accused of forcing Paige to allow him to perform sex acts on her and forcing the girl to touch his genitals at least seven times between July 2014 and June 2016.
He admitted in March 2017 to seven incidences of sexual abuse of his sibling, according to the original criminal complaint. The abuse stopped after Noah Exline's parents confronted him, records show.
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However, Noah and Paige's father, James Hubert Exline Jr., continued the abuse. James Exline, 47, was sentenced last August to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing his daughter after putting a stop to Noah's activity. Patrick Thompson, Noah Exline's stepbrother and roommate, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty last October of first-degree murder in the fire that killed Paige and her cousin, Shakiah Cockerham. Authorities believe Thompson set fire to the Guthrie Center home because he was trying to stop Paige and others from testifying against the family.
A sentencing date has not been set and a call to Exline's attorneys was not immediately returned.
Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news. Tyler Davis can be contacted at 515-284-8378, tjdavis@dmreg.com or on Twitter @TDavisDMR.
Patrick Thompson, 27, of Nevada, was sentenced to life in prison Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, at the Guthrie County Courthouse in Guthrie Center. (Photo: Luke Nozicka/The Register)
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