Elderly Marshall man gets 20 years for enticement

The case was argued by Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Joby J. Raines. This was Raines' first judge-tried case as a prosecutor.

Raines argued at sentencing that even though Conger was an elderly defendant in declining health, his attempts to entice children into illicit sexual activities could cause lifelong damage to the victims. Raines argued that too often, children who are sexually assaulted grow up to be dysfunctional adults who themselves are potential abusers.

The charges against Conger arose out of reports by two female juveniles, ages 11 and 14, that Conger had offered to pay them money if they would in return remove articles of clothing. Raines praised the investigation by the Marshall Police Department, and in particular, cited the efforts of Detective Corporal Jill Markes for her part in the investigation."

Officer Markes was able to obtain a confession, an important, almost crucial element in the successful prosecution of child sexual offenses," said Raines.

Raines said the most difficult aspect of the case was convincing the judge that the defendant's purpose was sexual in nature.

"The extreme youth of the victims, compared to the defendant's advanced age, made the concept difficult to grasp," he said.

In his verdict, Judge Rolf commented this was a classic case of a defendant "grooming" his potential victims, whereby Conger was preparing the young victims for future sexual contact.

Raines commented this is the type of offense that could continue to haunt the victims during their entire lifetimes, and that he was pleased with the sentence.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at marshallhealth@socket.net