A guilty plea submitted early (there was a hearing scheduled for February 9th) has led to sentencing for Hugh Patrick McVey – guilty of three counts and a requirement to register as a sex offender with related elements. See the Casenet screenshot below. Hugh Patrick McVey Registered Sex Offender
UPDATE Feb 9th: McVey gets Second Probation Sentence by St. Charles County judge
The sentence will be concurrent to that of McVey’s case in St. Louis County where he pleaded guilty last week. His plea agreements in both counties suspend a 14-year prison term and require he register as a sex offender, have no contact with the teen, get psychological treatment and have no association with adult or youth recreational sports.
From Joel Curriers story in the Post-Dispatch
Former Lou Fusz Soccer coach Hugh “Pat” McVey, 31, of the 200 block of Country Hollow Court in St. Charles County, pleaded guilty to charges of one count of statutory rape and two counts of statutory sodomy. Judge Mary Ott accepted McVey’s plea agreement with prosecutors, suspending a 14-year prison sentence and giving him, instead, five years probation. He also must register as a sex offender, undergo treatment and have no association with any recreational sports program.
McVey also has a pending case in St. Charles County alleging a sexual relationship with the girl between March and June after they began talking and texting after practice. The girl told authorities that she went to his St. Charles County home one day during that time to watch television and then began to have sex. She also told police she took a shower with McVey and engaged in sex acts. McVey has a plea hearing in that case scheduled for Tuesday.
Fox2Now offer a media report as well
Lou Fusz Soccer Club coach Hugh Patrick McVey plead guilty Friday to three counts of sex crimes against a minor.
He has been sentenced to five years probation for second-degree statutory rape with conditions. Those conditions include no contact with the victim; no association with any sports program (youth or adult) as a coach, consultant, paid employee or official; have a psycho-sexual evaluation done and follow all treatment as directed; and be assigned to a sex offender caseload.
If McVey does not follow every term of his probation, Judge Mary Elizabeth Ott told him “you will lose your liberty.”
McVey must now register as a convicted sex offender with the state of Missouri.
Of note, as I’ve heard from several people now who are outraged about the lack of prison time, a statement by St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell addresses that issue (McVey Pleads Guilty)
Hugh “Pat” McVey pled guilty to one count of Statutory Rape 2nd Degree and two counts of Statutory Sodomy 2nd Degree in Missouri’s 21st Circuit Court on Friday, February 5, 2021.
For Count I, he was sentenced to 7 years SES (Suspended Execution of Sentence) – 5 years probation with the following conditions: no contact with victim; no association with any sports program (youth or adult) as coach, consultant, paid employee or official; psycho-sexual evaluation and following all treatment as directed; and assignment to a sex offender caseload.
For Counts II and III, he he was sentenced to 7 years SES – 5 years probation with the same conditions. Counts II and III are to run concurrent to each other but consecutive to Count I. SES is a criminal conviction, and the sex offender is subject to prison time if he violates the terms of his probation.
Going on, Bell notes this was a negotiated plea by McVey and both St. Louis and St. Charles County driven by the victim’s stated goals
“The resolution in this case allowed us to respect the deeply held preferences of the victim while ensuring that the defendant was never again in a position where he could have close contact with children. The victim and her family made it clear, from their first communication with our office to the last, that they did not want the defendant sentenced to prison. Without their cooperation and the victim’s bravery, we would have been unable to proceed with any charges against the defendant. This resolution brings some finality for the victim while convicting the offender of sex crimes against a child and placing strict limits on his future conduct. We commend the victim for her willingness to speak out and hope that the closure of this chapter of her life will bring her some measure of peace.”
Several outstanding issues in my opinion:
1) No MYSA background check for Pat McVey entering this season per this report by KSDK
2) The MYSA background checks only capture convictions. Given the time it takes for justice to prevail, that means an offender could continue to work for a year or more as was the case year when McVey’s 2019 DWI and resisting arrest case in which he was initially charged with assaulting a female police officer are still not adjudicated. (see the KSDK report)
3) The victim’s High School confirmed the victim is a student there, and that her alleged abuser is related to a member of the high school’s athletic staff. Given the victim’s participation with a select soccer team that McVey coached, what are the odds that she plays soccer for her school. Pretty high I think we can agree. She now faces an upcoming Spring season with her convicted sexual predator’s family member still employed within the athletic department. How comfortable would you be in that situation? As a parent I would be demanding the removal of the family member.
