Benjamin Kamp, d/o/b 1-19-1989, of Branson, pled guilty on Thursday, August 15th, to the class C felony of statutory rape in the second degree, in the Circuit Court of Taney County. According to Taney County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Merrell, Kamp accepted a fifteen (15) year prison sentence as part of a plea agreement. While a class C felony normally carries a maximum term of imprisonment of seven (7) years, Kamp was eligible for a maximum sentence of fifteen (15) years because he is a prior and persistent felony offender.

Kamp’s statutory rape offense occurred in October of 2012, when he took a family friend to a creek in Taneyville and had sexual intercourse with her in the back of his SUV. The girl was fifteen (15) years of age, and reported it to her family and to law enforcement officials.

In addition to Kamp’s statutory rape plea, Kamp also entered guilty pleas in another case to two (2) counts of burglary in the second degree and one (1) count of stealing. Each of those three (3) charges is a class C felony, and – because of his past criminal convictions – Kamp faced a maximum sentence of fifteen (15) years for each of those offenses. However, as part of his plea agreement, Kamp receive a nine (9) year sentence on each of those three charges. The charges in that case stemmed from a Branson Police investigation into a housekeeper at a local condominium resort stealing cash from guest rooms, in May of 2012. Electronic key cards at the resort showed that Kamp – using the key card he was assigned – had accessed the guests’ rooms when they were away, which was the same time the guests’ cash disappeared.

Kamp had originally denied responsibility for the burglaries and thefts, as well as the sexual offense against the underage girl. Eventually, however, Kamp admitted he was lying to investigators of the sex offense, and requested to plead guilty in both of his cases. All of Kamp’s sentences are to run concurrently with one another.