Jasper woman charged with tampering with a witness files for divorce from accused child molester husband

A Jasper woman who allegedly conspired with her husband to tamper with a witness in his child molestation case, filed for a dissolution of marriage today in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Online court records indicate Audrey Taffner, 31, who was bound over for trial on the felony witness tampering charge January 9, acted as her own attorney in the filing.

According to the probable cause statement in the tampering case, Taffner was visiting her husband, former Jasper Fire Protection District chief engineer Jerred Taffner, 30, in the Jasper County Jail, where J. Taffner is awaiting trial on child molestation charges.

Jerred and Audrey discussed different ways which may prohibit juvenile (name withheld) from testifying in court regarding the sexual abuse. These conversations were recorded due to Jerred being incarcerated at the time.

Jerred Taffner's alleged crimes took place in January 2017 and March 2018.








An underage girl described the alleged molestation to an interviewer at the Children's Center, according to the probable cause statement, saying Taffner used his mouth and fingers on her, put her on the bed, "laid on top of her for about 25 seconds and was moving a lot."

The child described four incidents.

After the police read Taffner his rights, according to the probable cause statement, he admitted that officers might find evidence indicating he had been on the girl's bed.

Taffner was charged with two counts of child molestation and two counts of statutory sodomy.

Audrey Taffner is scheduled to be arraigned before Judge Dean Dankelson April 1.

A pre-trial conference for Jerred Taffner, who is being held in the Jasper County Jail without bond, is scheduled for April 29.