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	Convicted Molester to Serve No Jail Time By Josh O'Gorman Rutland Herald April 9, 2010 http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20100409/NEWS02/4090349/1003/NEWS02 WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Missouri clergyman convicted of using the word of God to molest a woman will serve no prison time and is on his way back home. Paul J. Cool, 49, of Amity, Mo., was sentenced Monday in White River Junction District Court to two to five years, all suspended. On Dec. 1, Cool pleaded innocent to three felony counts of lewd and lascivious conduct for allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting a woman from 2006 until 2007 in Royalton. According to affidavits filed with the court, the woman, who was 18 years old when the assaults began, told investigators Cool was a priest in splinter sect of the Mormon Church and told her God had instructed him to prepare her for marriage. On Feb. 11, Cool pleaded guilty to five counts of engaging in a prohibited act, and under the deal, Cool will be placed in the hands of probation and parole in Missouri. "The state's intention was to fashion a resolution that would allow him to get treatment as soon as possible and to help (the victim) heal and find some closure and find some measure of acknowledgement," said Windsor County Deputy State's Attorney Martha Neary, who prosecuted the case. The victim was in court Monday and offered a prepared statement that was read into the record by Victims' Advocate Pamela L. Weigel. "I loved you. You were my hero," wrote the victim. "You were supposed to protect me and guide me on the right paths. Instead, you took away my honor, my mother, my home, my siblings (and) my will to live. You did all this as you claimed God told you to do it." Weigel said the victim was satisfied with the outcome. "I think she got the validation she was seeking," Weigel said. "She had a voice and could give input throughout the process." Cool's attorney, Elizabeth L. Hibbitts, was pleased with the resolution. "The state, Martha Neary and myself worked to craft a fair and appropriate sentence," Hibbitts said. Under the sentence, Cool will have to register as a sex offender in Missouri. His sentence also contains a provision his attorney found unjust. "What I find very troubling about the sentence is that he have no contact with females under 18 without the approval of probation, but his victim was 19 at the time of the offenses," Hibbitts said. "I think there was a lot of fear and hysteria that clung to this case in the wake of the Brooke Bennett case." Bennett was a 12-year-old girl from Brookfield who was found dead in 2008. Her uncle, Michael Jacques, is facing charges for the girl's killing. Hibbitts said she expected her client will return to Missouri this week, and if his residence is approved by Missouri probation, he will soon be living under the same roof as his teenage stepdaughter. Contact: josh.gorman@rutlandherald.com
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