A Parkville man who had previously been convicted of child sex trafficking has been sentenced to 45 years in prison. Donald Elbert, 40, received the sentence on Nov. 17 after being found guilty by a Platte County jury in October of sodomy in the first degree, domestic assault in the first degree, delivery of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance.
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “This defendant is a dangerous repeat offender who has hurt too many people on too many occasions. It is only right that he will spend the next several decades in prison where he cannot hurt anyone again.”
The jury found Elbert guilty of forcibly sodomizing and brutally assaulting a 30-year-old woman in their home on Nov. 24, 2024.
The woman, who was Elbert’s partner, went to the hospital two days after the assault She had 29 bruises over various parts of her body. She also reported previous assaults, including an incident in which her nose was split open after being thrown into a nightstand.
Because Elbert had been convicted of two prior felonies prior to his Platte County offenses, Zahnd’s office charged him as a persistent felony offender, which increased his punishment range.
Elbert faced life imprisonment on the sodomy and assault counts. Zahnd’s office asked Judge Ann Hansbrough to impose that sentence, and she ultimately imposed a sentence of 45 years in prison.
In 2003, Elbert pleaded guilty to the felony of endangering the welfare of a child in the St. Louis. He received probation in that case.
In 2008, Elbert pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a child in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri. He received a 96-month sentence in that case.
Zahnd said, “In this case, the defendant brutally assaulted a woman and forced her to engage in a criminal sex act. The jury found him guilty of dangerous felonies, and he will be required to serve at least 85% of his sentences behind bars. People in Platte County can rest a little easier knowing our juries will throw the book at anyone who sexually assaults another person.”
