First court appearance scheduled for Neosho elementary counselor on statutory rape charge

The first court appearance for a Neosho South Elementary counselor charged with statutory rape is scheduled for 1 p.m. May 14 in Newton County Circuit Court, according to online records.

The Newton County Prosecuting Attorney's office charged Jacob Oakes, 40, Neosho, April 10 and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He turned himself in Thursday afternoon and was freed after posting a $5,000 code bond.

Oakes, a former high school counselor and choir teacher in the R-5 School District, allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old girl in 2021 and an other occasions, including as recently as last month.

The district placed him on paid administrative leave.

More information about the case can be found at the links below.

The Turner Report: Statutory rape charge filed against Neosho elementary school counselor (rturner229.blogspot.com)

The Turner Report: Neosho R-5 counselor placed on leave as investigation continues into possible crime involving children (rturner229.blogspot.com)