A father formerly from Greene County was denied postconviction relief for a new trial on sexual abuse charges. In Aug. 2018, at the time 46-year-old James Hubert Exline Jr. was found guilty by a jury of peers for second and third-degree sexual abuse, for sexually abusing his 12-year-old daughter from June 2016 to April of 2017. Exline Jr. was ordered to serve 75 years in prison and register on the sex offender registry for the remainder of his life. According to online court records, he filed a request for postconviction relief, stating he received ineffective assistance for counsel and was seeking a new trial. His request was denied on Nov. 19, and he will remain serving the 75-year sentence, with an 85 percent minimum completion before being eligible for parole. His daughter, along with her cousin, were the two juveniles killed during a house fire back in May of 2017 in Guthrie County, who were the victim and sole witness in the sexual abuse case against Exline Jr. Now 34-year-old Patrick Ryan Thompson, who was found guilty for murder and arson for the incident has also filed for post-conviction relief and will have a trial in June of 2026 out of Guthrie County.
