Date set for Mohler trial in Saline County Circuit Court

The trial of Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., one of six men charged with multiple felony counts of rape, deviate sexual assault and other crimes of a sexual nature against children, is scheduled to occur in Saline County Circuit Court next year.

Circuit Court Judge Dennis A. Rolf will preside over the trial, scheduled to begin May 26 and expected to last 10 days.

Mohler is the son of Burrell Edward Mohler Sr. of Bates City, who, along with three other sons, was arrested in November 2009. A brother of the senior Mohler was arrested several weeks later.

The charges stem from incidents their accusers say occurred more than 20 years ago. The victims allege the crimes occurred between 1988 and 1995, when all the victims, now in their 20s and 30s, were juveniles.

Burrell Mohler Jr. is charged with three counts of class C felony use of a child in a sexual performance, one count of class C felony deviate sexual assault and three counts of class B felony rape.

The victims also identified Mohler Jr. as the person who abducted a man from a Kansas City shopping mall and ordered the youngsters to kill the man. According to the victims' version of the incident, one of the children did stab the man, but Mohler killed him.

Thus far, authorities say, they have not been able to identify anyone in the area reported missing at the time of the alleged murder.

Authorities in Lafayette County also admit that after extensive searches of properties owned by the men and other relatives, they have not found any glass jars or other items cited by the victims as proof of their accusations.

One of the men, Roland N. Mohler, brother of Burrell Jr., was arrested in Marshall, where he was employed as a paramedic by Saline County Ambulance District No. 3.

Charges contained in reports provided by law enforcement officials are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting charges must be presented before a jury, whose duty is to determine if the accused is guilty or not guilty of the charges.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at kfairchild@marshallnews.com

Related stories:
Mohler trial moved to Saline County:
www.marshallnews.com/story/1625146.html
Marshall paramedic in custody in Lafayette County; charged with sex crime:
www.marshallnews.com/story/1586282.html
Local paramedic arrested, charged with child molestation in Lexington:
www.marshallnews.com/story/1586159.html