Plea Deal Reached Against One Defendant in Taney County Abuse Case

A plea deal has been reached for one defendant in an abuse case.

Story by Jason Wert, Branson Tri-Lakes News, is below:

The second defendant in an abuse case, which shocked many in Taney County, has taken a plea deal which will drop most of the charges against him.

Andrew Vandorn, 40, pleaded guilty to one charge of financial exploitation of an elderly or disabled person with a property value between $1,000 and $49,999. The charge is a class B felony which could bring a five to 15 year prison sentence.

The plea deal drops multiple charges against Vandorn, including rape, sodomy, and trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

Investigators said in court documents, filed when Vandorn was initially arrested in September 2021, he spent years abusing his step-sister. According to a witness, his sister has the mentality of a 12-year-old and had been collecting disability checks which Vandorn and Ann Schilling were accused of taking and using to purchase drugs.

Investigators also stated Vandorn had been forcing his step-sister into prostitution to procure drugs when both her disability money and his step-father’s social security ran out. 

The charges were the second time Vandorn had been accused of sexual offenses. Court documents showed his being charged in 2012 with first degree child molestation. In that case, he pleaded guilty to second degree child molestation and was given a suspended sentence of one year in county jail and two years of supervised probation.

Vandorn is a lifetime registered sex offender.

Vandorn will next appear in Taney County Court for sentencing on May 4, in front of Judge Jeffrey Merrell.