Accusers speak on Jackson County decision: ‘This is way beyond us'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office wouldn't elaborate on the decision it's standing by regarding not filing criminal charges in a sexual misconduct case against former pastor and school board president Bobby Hawk.
However, Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson took to social media to share more on the statute of limitations.
'A deadline that determines how long prosecutors have to file criminal charges after a crime occurs,' Prosecutor Johnson shared on what a statute of limitations is in Missouri.
'Once the deadline passes, under state law, we can no longer charge someone with that crime.'
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Prosecutor Johnson added that her office must follow state laws along with time limits.'Some serious crimes like murder, rape, sodomy, or any other class A felony, has no state of limitations, meaning charges can be filed at any time,' she shared.
Her office said Tuesday that the time to prosecute these potential crimes against Hawk has expired in this case.'Other felonies must be charged within three years of when the crime occurred and misdemeanors have [an] even shorter time limit of one year.'
FOX4 asked what crimes Hawk was accused of, and what classification this would fall under, but the Prosecutor's Office said it would be unethical to say what charges could have been brought forth.While not referring to this specific case, Prosecutor Johnson rounded out her educational video by saying:
'When the statute of limitations bars of office from pursuing charges, it does not necessarily mean we don't think the crime occurred, it's about following our state laws.'Hawks' accusers say something must give.
'We are not done with Bobby Hawk. We are not done with him, but this is way beyond us. The laws on the statute of limitation, I think everyone now knows is very skewed. There are thousands of victims out there that aren't being able to go forward and confront their accuser, their assaulters, and stuff like that, and that has to stop,' Destiny Bounds, an accuser said.
'We don't want anybody else in a situation that the Church makes us vulnerable and that it continues to happen.'
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Bounds is one of several women who've spoken up about sexual misconduct claims against Bobby Hawk. She says her experiences were from about 25 years ago.'If we have enough people come forward that they are seeing that the statute of limitations is just doing people more harm than good. Right? Because our laws are here to assist in the community, to help us, and if they see there is enough harm being done, I feel like that has got to create change in itself,' Bounds continued.
On Tuesday, Bounds and others learned no charges will be filed in the case against Hawk. The prosecutor is citing Missouri's State of Limitations. Bounds says devastation then took over.
The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office is referring to this statute.'This is why so many women don't want to come forward. Anybody. Men. Women. Anybody. They don't want to step forward, because they are like 'Well that's just what's going to happen.' I just want to say, 'Don't let this stop you,'' Bounds explained.
Support stretches through their own stories and experiences with Hawk.
Ali Terwilliger and Destiny Bounds met last year after these allegations came to light.'You would have been 11 (years old),' she said referring to Ali.
'I would have 12, passing in time of going to an Assemblies of God Church when we were kids. That's when the incidents happened with me and my sister and where he was in a leadership role in the church at that time,' Bounds said.Terwilliger and Bounds want people to know, their voices and stories matter.'For us, the second that I heard Izzy's story last year, this was a trauma that had been hidden in my heart for many, many, years and it just broke me to know that someone else had gone through that. Someone that was so precious to me and someone that I knew,' Terwilliger said.
'I would hope that anyone who has experienced something like this, especially with Bobby specifically, that they would join us in this fight to make sure that he can no longer hurt anyone else in this way.''There are several victims that are spanned over different states and churches that are across state lines. There will be numerous churches involved,' Bounds added.
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The Prosecutor's Office has shared, if any new evidence or allegations come to light, it will be reviewed.
The two women accusing Hawk are urging anyone with any similar experiences, related to this case, and this man, to contact the Blue Springs Police Department. Below are ways to contact police, as they've shared with FOX4. You can remain anonymous.
Sergeant Keegan HughesBlue Springs Police Department(816) 220-2693 or email khughes@bluespringsgov.com
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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