Plea hearing for ex-Willard soccer coach charged with sex crimes rescheduled

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - The plea hearing for a former Willard High School soccer coach accused of inappropriate relations with a student was rescheduled for a third time on Tuesday.

Tim Magee is facing 3 second-degree statutory sodomy charges.

“Obviously people want swift justice. People want a quick resolution to these cases but that’s just not the reality of the system,” said Adam Woody.

The Springfield attorney agreed to explain the legal process behind plea hearings. He is not speaking to the facts of the case against Magee.

Magee admitted to investigators that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl in 2009. He was 38.

Woody said, “Just because a plea hearing is rescheduled doesn’t necessarily mean anything nefarious. It’s usually just the defendant or the prosecutor asking for a little bit more time before the case is finally resolved.”

He explained that while the Missouri Supreme Court provides guidelines...it’s ultimately up to the judge to decide how many times a plea hearing can be rescheduled.

“When we’re talking about a plea or a plea hearing there’s a couple of different ways that that can go. It could either be a plea agreement with the prosecutor where it’s a straight agreement and it’s up to the court to accept the agreement or not. Or it could be just an open plea or stand-up plea where the defendant is essentially putting themselves at the mercy of the court. The prosecutor is going to make one suggestion. The defendant, through his attorney, is going to make another suggestion. It’s up to the court as far as what to do with that defendant,” said Woody.

He said there is still work being done by defense attorneys and prosecutors behind the scenes and due process happens on its own time.

“They go on for quite some time. I’ve had cases last years and years,” said Woody.

The school district fired Tim Magee shortly after his arrest in 2020.

He’s out on a $25,000 bond. He also has to wear a GPS monitor and must be supervised around children other than his own.

Another plea hearing has been scheduled for October.

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