Apparent Plea Deal Pending for Former Bus Driver Accused of Statutory Rape

A former bus driver in the Climax Springs school district accused of statutory rape and child molestation has apparently reached a plea deal in his case, which dates back to 2015. Joel Stoner had been scheduled to stand trial next week. The latest entry in the case, however, was an order to send the case to the associate level to schedule a plea hearing. According to casenet, that’s a result of a pending agreement on a misdemeanor disposition. As of press time, that plea hearing has yet to be scheduled. During the course of the proceedings, Stoner has allegedly admitted to kissing the then-15-year old girl but denied that anything else ever happened.