Joplin man charged with raping 14-year-old in church parking lot bound over for trial

T'ante Jamal Paul, 19, Joplin, was bound over for trial on a second-degree rape charge following a preliminary hearing this afternoon in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Paul is scheduled to be arraigned 9 a.m. October 6 in Division 1.

Paul allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in a church parking lot March 13.

From the probable cause statement:

On 03-25-2025, Jasper County Deputies took a report of a past tense sexual assault that had occurred at the Fir Road Christian Church parking lot located at 6025 County Road 303 in Jasper County, Missouri with VICTIM 1 being 14 years of age and the suspect, T’Ante Jamal Paul being 18 years of age.

On 04-02-2025 a forensic interview was conducted with VICTIM 1, at the Children’s Center located in Joplin. During the forensic interview, VICTIM 1 disclosed the following:

- VICTIM 1 disclosed she had met T’Ante Paul and she calls him “TJ” last summer. - VICTIM 1 disclosed on Thursday, (later indicated to be March 13th by her mother), T’Ante picked her up from School where he took her home, then went out to various places.

- VICTIM 1 disclosed T’Ante then drove past her road to where her house is and drove to a Church on Fir Road and parked in the Church’s parking lot where they both moved to the backseat.

- VICTIM 1 disclosed T’Ante then put his hand on her thigh, and she grabbed his hand and told him, “No."

The next few paragraphs of the probable cause statement described the alleged rape, noting that the girl tried several times to "get him off me," before "giving up."

VICTIM 1 disclosed on the drive home, T’Ante told her, “Don’t you dare tell anyone about this."