ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – An accused serial rapist remains free, even though prosecutors say he won’t follow court orders.
FOX2 obtained exclusive video of the suspect with a young girl in what appears to be a violation of the court’s release agreement. Prosecutors say the suspect is also trying to meet other young girls online.
Yet a judge says 23-year-old Dominic Yocco can remain out of jail, at his grandmother’s house, while he awaits his September trial. The judge’s recent decision comes after FOX2 obtained video of suspect Yocco next to a minor girl who he’s not related to.
The video was taken by a former Yocco family friend, Cynthia Shahjamaluddin, who told us, “Right is right, and wrong is wrong, and when wrong is put in my face, it’s time to make it right.” She added, “When I showed up and he was there, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m shocked that everybody else is here and this little girl is here.’”
Yocco currently faces 28 sex charges involving ten different minors, some of them who were reportedly unconscious during the offenses. He’s out on a $250,000 cash-only bond with a court order that he stay away from girls he’s not related to.
The video obtained by FOX2 appears to show a violation. We showed the St. Louis County Prosecutor, who agrees. Wesley Bell said, “He is a threat to the community.”
Bell’s office has been tracking several violations they think should send Yocco back to jail until his trial. He said, “For the safety of the public and our victims as well, we think he should be incarcerated through this process.”
Prosecutors used the video FOX2 obtained, to file a motion to revoke bond. In addition to video of Yocco apparently near a minor female, the suspect was also allegedly ”…engaging in online activity that the State found to be alarming,” and utilizing online dating applications like Bumble, and social media platforms like TikTok under a fake name.
The court document continues -“…the user account named ‘Nopi’ shows a picture of the defendant shirtless as the profile picture, and the account appears to be following underage minors.”
Despite the prosecutors’ push to lock up Yocco until trial, Judge Ellen Ribaudo only tightened his house arrest rules, saying Yocco can no longer leave his grandmother’s home unless it’s for court or medical care. Bell says he doesn’t agree, but he respects the decision. He said, “The judge makes the final call. The judge is the referee for lack of a better term.”
We contacted the St. Louis County Court, where a spokesman responded saying the judge is not allowed to comment.
We also called Yocco’s grandmother. We could hear someone in the background say to ‘hang up’ on us, while someone else said “If you believe everything, then I’m not making any comment.”
The judge’s order says any mistake by Yocco from here on out will result in him getting locked up while he waits for his trial. Authorities say they’re watching.
