A ST. FRANCOIS MISSOURI MAN HAS BEEN INDICTED BY A JURY FOR SODOMY SECOND DEGREE ANAL RAPE. (PHOTO)

 A St. Francois Missouri man has been indicted by a jury for sodomy second degree anal rape. 

His victim, "Hope" has come forward to tell her story. Hope is in her early 20's. She also believes there are other victims that need to come forward. 

James "Aaron" Garrett and Hope dated from 2020 to 2023. Hope detailed how at first Aaron was a gentleman. She shared, "He was old school if you know what I mean? He always opened doors for me, he opened the car door for me. He didn't think I needed makeup. He wouldn't let me lift a finger and he took good care of me. I started dating Aaron after I left a violent relationship in 2020. He always said he would never physically hurt me and in hindsight I feel like that was a red flag because I kind of thought that was a given." 

Aaron began controlling Hope in small but substantial ways. He didn't want her wearing shorts because he said she didn't need to. He believed women just wore shorts to get attention and although Hope didn't agree with that assumption, she wore jeans. After becoming pregnant with his child, Aaron became more controlling to Hope, according to her. He ensured that she didn't speak freely to her family and friends and he also didn't allow her to use the car. He didn't allow her to get a job. 

Hope shared, "I know it's hard to understand unless you've lived it but people like this take away your freedom and when you finally realize what is really happening and they really aren't going to get better, it's too late. You have no one and you're stuck."

Aaron became @busive during verbal arguments and also out of nowhere. 

Hope's final straw happened when she was 3 weeks post operation from a C-section and she asked Aaron to make a bottle in the middle of the night because she had done it for the first part of the night. "I handed him a bottle and he threw it. I asked him to please just rinse it off and get our child a bottle because I was sore and tired. He completely flipped out. I was not aware that he had peed in a 44 Oz foam cup that night so he wouldn't have to get out of bed and take care of the baby. As I was asking him to rinse the bottle off, he picked up the cup of urine and poured it all over my mouth and face. I was in complete shock. I could tell it was urine. I was so confused. He grabbed me and drug me to the door and shoved me down the stairs and told me I was being kicked out. I was not going to leave my baby with this man. With pure adrenaline I was able to get past him and pick up my baby. I laid my baby on my bed so I could try to get things together. He shoved me and I landed on top of my newborn. He beat me up after that. I left shortly after that. He had isolated me so much from friends and family I only had one place to go and their landlord didn't allow people to stay with them so I could only stay for a little while. He took my phone so I couldn't call authorities but honestly, I was so young and just in shock, I probably would've been too scared to call. I know it's hard for people to understand that, but it happens unfortunately." 

Hope ended up having to stay at Aaron's place in November of 2023, because the friend she was staying with had their own issue going on and Hope couldn't stay at the residence. Hope and Aaron had been separated for a few months but they still spoke because of the shared child and all of her stuff was there so she would stay there occasionally. Without getting into Hope's personal business, she really did have nowhere to go as she knew nothing about shelters for battered women and she had no vehicle to go anywhere. Hope was barely 20. There are other issues that Hope could not help. It was truly a sad and dire situation. 

Hope told me this following story through tears and with the help of a wonderful new partner in her life.

"I laid in a bed in my own room. I was scrolling on my phone, and watching TV to wind down for the night. I was honestly in a great mood because I had met a really good man. I'm still with him. He was trying to ensure I could move in with him because he knew Aaron and he knew what I'd been through. 

As I was scrolling, Aaron opened the bedroom door and stared at me. He said, 'I want to have s*x.' I sternly told him no. I reminded him we were no longer together. He had an evil look in his eyes. I had a horrible feeling. I clutched my phone. I stood up because I didn't want to be in the bed and an easy target. He shoved me as hard as he could back on the bed. My phone flew out of my hand but landed where I could still touch it with the tip of my finger. It was on Snapchat. He held my arms down but I was able to hit record. Luckily, Snap has an easy option to record. He flipped me over after that to where I was on my stomach. He didn't treat me like a human, he treated me like a thing. I screamed no and begged him not to do it. I just kept screaming 'no' while I guess he was pulling his pants down and pulling my pants down. In the video you can hear my scream change when he enters me because it was so painful. I'm not sure how to say this... but I didn't know he was going to enter me that way and it was awful. I screamed in pain while begging him to stop. He was holding my arms down and my head down, I couldn't move. I couldn't fight back. I tried. It just made everything hurt worse." 

"I have to do it," that is what Aaron says to Hope during the awful incident. 

Hope fought for charges to be brought and in November of 2025 she found out that a grand jury would be looking at the case. Aaron was indicted on December 15th, 2025. 

Hope shared many other incidents of severe @buse including a puncture wound to her shoulder. She still isn't sure what he stabbed her with. She is definitely a survivor. She wants other women to know that red flags can be very easy to miss. She really believed that he just didn't want her to wear makeup because that was his preference but she realized he actually was controlling and jealous. He thought if she wore makeup she was "trying to get the attention of other men". Hope shared, "They don't show you who they really are right away and honestly by the time you figure it out you may already be stuck, isolated and feeling defeated." 

Hope does believe there are other victims. Hope shared, "If you were taken advantage of, or harmed by this man, please reach out to St. Francois County authorities, or whomever your local authorities are, and let them know immediately as Aaron will be in court soon. You are deserving of justice. We ALL deserve justice and kindness." 

I will be updating this story and we appreciate Hope coming forward in an attempt to help fellow survivors.