ST. LOUIS — A former school security guard was sentenced to 67 years of prison time Friday in a St. Louis County Circuit Court almost two months after he was convicted of six child sex crimes.
In June, Dexter Wade, 40, was convicted of raping a Hazelwood Central Middle School girl when she was 13 and 14 years old while he was a security guard at the school in 2014 and 2015. At that time, the victim was in 7th and 8th grades. Wade was also convicted of other child sexual assault acts.
The victim came forward to report the crimes in 2020.
Snapchat messages corroborated that there was sexual contact between the student and Wade, according to a probable cause statement. The state presented images of Snapchat messages at trial that the victim had saved.
The Snapchat exchanges show how Wade presented himself first as a father figure and then as both a father figure and a lover to the child, a release from the prosecuting attorney's office said. He even told her that he saw them having children in the future.
“Holding people accountable for sex crimes against children is both the worst and most important work we do, and this sentence holds this predator accountable for these unspeakable crimes. We pray it brings the survivor some closure,” said St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell.
