Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Mar 11, 2025
State of Missouri, Respondent, v. Deric A. Rugen, Appellant.
Deric Rugen appealed his convictions for felony abuse or neglect of a child and domestic assault in the second degree following a bench trial. He challenged the sufficiency of the evidence for both charges, the trial court's limitation on questioning a victim about drug use, and the admission of a child victim's hearsay statements and videotaped deposition testimony. The Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, affirmed the trial court's judgment, finding sufficient evidence for the convictions and no abuse of discretion or constitutional violation in the evidentiary rulings.