Lack of interpreter forces delay in guilty plea for Joplin man charged with raping, sodomizing 12-year-old

The guilty plea for a Joplin man charged with raping and sodomizing a 12-year-old girl was delayed Thursday in Jasper County Circuit Court because no interpreter was available.

Rasty Kiris, 29, was in court with his attorney, public defender Craig Lowe, but a call to the Language Line revealed there was no available who spoke Kiris' Chuukese dialect.

Judge Gayle Crane rescheduled the plea hearing for 10 a.m. Wednesday, January 9, The defense will provide the interpreter, according to online court records.



Kiris allegedly raped and sodomized the Joplin girl multiple times between June and August of 2017. The Joplin Police Department investigated the case.

Kiris is being held in Jasper County Jail on $200,000 bond.