The man accused of sexually assaulting an unsheltered woman in a downtown parking garage in 2021 took a plea deal Tuesday morning and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Austin Gregory Jaster, 33, pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault and two counts of first-degree assault. As part of the plea deal, the state prosecuting attorney dropped a kidnapping and an assault charge.
When Greene County Circuit Judge Kaiti Greenwade asked Jaster if anyone had threatened him into pleading guilty — a standard question judges ask before accepting a plea of guilt — Jaster said no, but added that other inmates at Greene County jail have been threatening him and are threatening to “cause harm to my loved ones.”
According to court documents, Springfield police responded to a 911 call for reports of a sexual assault shortly before noon on Aug. 8, 2021 that had occurred in the parking garage at 815 East St. Louis St.
A woman identified in court documents as “K.M.” told the officers she had just met Jaster, whom she knew as “Charlie,” as they were on a bus, having just left a nonprofit agency that helps homeless people.
K.M. and Jaster were both unsheltered at the time, according to the documents.
Jaster suggested K.M. go with him to the parking garage because it would be a safe place to hang out.
Once they climbed up on the third level of the parking garage, Jaster grabbed the woman’s buttocks from behind. K.M threw her soda at him and told him that was not OK, according to the documents.
Jaster then began strangling her to the point where she urinated on herself and lost consciousness twice. The second time she regained consciousness, she woke up to Jaster sexually assaulting her, according to the documents.
Witnesses heard her screaming and saw the woman leave the parking garage. Two witnesses told police they heard yelling and got a very brief glimpse of two naked people on the third floor.
One of the witnesses called 911 and then followed Jaster until police officers arrived and detained Jaster.
Greene County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Chris Lebeck said the victim is now living outside the state of Missouri.
Jaster is a registered sex offender. He was convicted of second-degree child molestation in 2010 and second-degree sexual misconduct in 2007.
