OCALA A 72-year-old Marion County man accused of raping two children in another state made his first appearance in front of a judge Saturday afternoon.
Wearing flip-flops, brown pants and a red and white jail top, Darrel Wayne Mohler slowly made his way to the podium to face Judge Frances King, who was conducting hearings at the Marion County Jail shortly after 1 p.m.
A handcuffed Mohler, who says he has a bad knee and multiple sicknesses, told the judge he was retired, owned his home and receives $2,000 a month as his retirement.
King told Mohler he was not eligible for a public defender and set bail at $40,000. Asked if he wanted to waive extradition back to Missouri for being a fugitive of justice, Mohler told the judge he did not know.
Mohler has been charged in Lafayette County, Mo., with two counts of forcible rape stemming from 1986, according to court documents.
Five other members of the Mohler family were charged this past week with several felonies, including forcible sodomy, rape of a child younger than 12 and use of a child in a sexual performance.
Outside the makeshift courtroom at the jail, Mohler, presently on suicide watch, told the Star-Banner he had no idea about the allegations and claimed he has lived at his Silver Springs home, 5855 N.E. 165th Terrace, since 1984. Mohler was arrested Friday night at the home as he was pulling out of his driveway, officials said.
If I was there long enough to rape them (the children), I wouldve known about it, Mohler said while seated on a bench, waiting to be transported back to his cell. WTF?
An official who answered the phone at the Lafayette County Sheriffs Department in Missouri said no one was available to answer questions about the matter until Monday.
Mohler told the Star-Banner he returned home Friday night after picking up his daughter and was pulling into his driveway with his 16-year-old granddaughter and 12-year-old grandson when he saw a bunch of cop cars and all the neighbors were outside.
Asked about the allegations, Mohler said if his brother or any family members are involved, then the authorities should prosecute them.
The other men charged in the case are Mohlers brother, Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, of Independence, and his four adult sons: Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53, of Independence; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48, of Columbia; Roland Neil Mohler, 47, of Bates City; and David A. Mohler, 52, of Lamoni, Iowa.
Ive no contact with him or his family, Darrel Mohler said about his brother and his extended family.
He said he and his brother grew apart and that aside from one of his nephews calling him every Christmas and birthday, he has nothing to do with" his brother.
The probable cause statement against Darrel Mohler accuses him of raping two children between the ages of 5 and 9 at an abandoned house in Bates City, Mo. The statement alleges that after Mohler left the children, Burrell Mohler Sr. came to the room and warned them to be careful because waterbeds were known to pop and they might drown in their sleep.
Darrel Mohler said that after leaving home, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1955 and left three years later. He said he rejoined the Navy five years later and left again in 1967. He then worked as a corrections officer at the Marion Correctional Institution for a decade, he said, and then worked as an electrical contractor in Key West for several years before moving to Silver Springs.
Darrel Mohler said he has visited Missouri once, maybe twice, since leaving home. One of the occasions, he said, was as he was heading to bury his mother in Indiana in 1981.
Darrel Mohler said hes a disabled veteran and has had numerous aliments, including triple-bypass surgery and heart and lung problems.
He said he was placed on suicide watch because when he arrived at the jail, he was asked if he was depressed and said yes, he was devastated. He said he was asked if he had ever contemplated suicide and said most of us have and that it has crossed our minds one way or another.
Asked whether he will sign the extradition papers to head back to Missouri, Darrel Mohler said he "doesnt know what to do.
Im dumbfounded. I thought I would retire and take it easy, he said.
