Bliss gets 10 years in sex crimes case

By: 
Steve Chapman

Eric Bliss

Melissa Bliss

A Marionville man was sentenced to four 10-year concurrent prison terms after pleading guilty to a slew of sex crimes on Thursday, Feb. 9. Eric Bliss, 46, received the sentence as part of a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree sodomy and two counts of second-degree child molestation.

The facts in the case
The Lawrence County Record previously reported that the victim in the case, a girl who was under the age of 14 at the time, came forward in February of 2022 to report that Bliss had inappropriately touched her on more than one occasion.
The first time, she said, was at an apartment in Marionville. Additionally, the girl said, this happened more than once at the apartment, but she didn’t tell anyone because she was afraid he would do it again.
Finally, the girl also said the last time was at a house in Marionville, and it again stopped because another person came into the room.
Bliss was transferred to the Missouri Department of Corrections on Friday, Feb. 10. Previously, he’d been in custody at the Lawrence County Jail since April 1, 2022.

Melissa Bliss allegedly attempted to get victim to change story
In a related case, Melissa Bliss, Eric Bliss’s wife, was charged with tampering with a victim in a felony prosecution. According to the probable cause statement in that case, in April of 2022, the girl who Bliss abused reported to investigators during a forensic interview that Melissa had approached her and told her that Bliss had not done what she had reported and that she, the victim, was lying to start drama.
The victim also told investigators that Melissa wanted Bliss to return home, and that Melissa told her to change her story and tell the investigator on the case that the abuse did not happen and that she, the victim, only reported it to start drama. An investigator whom the victim reported this to attempted to contact Melissa about the alleged victim tampering but was informed her attorney would contact them if an interview was granted.
Melissa Bliss was taken into custody on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and was released the same day with an electronic monitoring device. She is restricted from contacting the victim as part of the conditions of her release and will next appear in court on Thursday, March 2, for arraignment.
 

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Lawrence County Record

312 S. Hickory St.
Mt. Vernon, MO, 65712
www.lawrencecountyrecord.com

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