Noah Exline, the 21-year-old Jefferson man accused of sexually molesting his pre-teen sister prior to her murder by arson, has reached a plea deal with the state, according to court records.
Exline was arrested in 2017 on seven counts of second-degree sexual abuse. The victim of the abuse was Exline’s sister, Melanie “Paige” Exline, 12, who was murdered in a May 2017 house fire in Guthrie Center. The girl’s cousin, Shakiah Cockerham, 16, also died in the fire.
In the plea agreement struck Tuesday with the Greene County Attorney’s office, Noah Exline agreed to plead guilty to a reduced charge — one count of indecent contact with a child — and in return will receive a suspended two-year prison sentence followed by three years’ probation.
The other six charges of second-degree sexual abuse will be dismissed. Second-degree sexual abuse is a class B felony in Iowa, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 25 years.
A plea hearing is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 4 before Greene County District Court Judge Adria A. Kester.
Noah Exline’s father, James Exline, 47, was sentenced in August to 75 years in prison after conviction on second-degree sexual abuse and third-degree sexual abuse charges. Noah Exline’s step-brother, Patrick Thompson, 27, was sentenced to life imprisonment in October after conviction on charges of first-degree murder and arson.
William Long III, 54, and Shirley Exline, 74, were also injured in the arson that destroyed the Guthrie Center property May 15, 2017.
SIX counts of sexual abuse dismissed?! The dude gets probation for sexually abusing a child? For crying out loud, you get caught with weed, you’ll do more time. What the hell is wrong with this country?