Former cop Martin sentenced to 35 years in prison for abuse

A Republic man and former law enforcement officer was given a sentence amounting to 42 years in prison on Friday, Oct. 4, at the Greene County Justice Center in Springfield. John Edwin “Ian” Martin, 53, was convicted on Thursday, June 27, on nine counts of second-degree statutory sodomy.
Martin was sentenced to seven years on each count, with concurrent prison terms for the first and second count of which he was convicted, the third and fourth count and the fifth and sixth count. However, each pair of sentences was consecutive with the other pairs, and consecutive with the sentences on the remaining three counts, giving Martin a total of six seven-year prison terms.
Martin was originally charged with 20 sex crimes, including five counts of sexual misconduct and six counts of first-degree statutory sodomy. Three counts of first-degree statutory sodomy were dropped prior to his going to trial, and he was acquitted of the sexual misconduct charges and the remaining three counts of first-degree statutory sodomy.
Facts in the case
Three people claiming to be victims of Martin came forward to accuse him of committing sex crimes against them. The first two reported being forced to strip naked for “tick checks” or prior to being spanked for breaking any of Martin’s rules. The third victim stated he was abused by Martin several times at his (Martin’s) home and one time at their church.
The officer investigating Martin also reported another possible victim came forward but then refused to speak with the officer; the officer said he later learned that Martin contacted the man after the officer spoke with him and offered to pay his rent for the month. The investigator also said that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that Martin has committed hundreds of sexual assaults against children.”
Martin placed himself in positions of authority to facilitate his crimes
Martin is a former member of law enforcement, serving as an officer in the Lawrence, Stone and Greene County Sheriff’s Offices prior to being stripped of his POST certification. He was also a Boy Scout Leader. The Republic Police officer who investigated him, reported that Martin “actively put himself into positions of influence and authority over young boys before taking advantage of them.”
He was placed on the Missouri Department of Social Services Family Support Division Services (DSS) Central Registry in March of 2021. According to information found on the Missouri Department of Social Services website, the Central Registry is “a confidential list of persons that the Children’s Division keeps who are legally responsible for child abuse or neglect, or who have committed certain crimes against children.” Martin filed suit in the Greene County Circuit Court in April of that year to have his name removed from the Central Registry, but in October of 2022, the court ruled in favor of the DSS and ruled that Martin’s name “should be placed on the Central Registry.” Martin filed a motion for a new trial in the case a month later, but that motion was denied on Dec. 15, 2022. Martin is appealing his conviction.