[cyborg]

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=32764

[OldSmaj]

And we care because...?

The guy was already convicted and has been in prison for several months.

Where have you been?

[BlueNgold]

since the girl said she lied anout the rape

I've not heard that bit of information and I have followed the case fairly closely. What's your source? She testified in court as I recall. To my knowledge she has never changed her story. The defense, upon his acquital on that charge has made allegations of consensual sex, but I've not seen anything on the record where SHE said it was consensual. I'm open to education ... please provide a link.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Since I'm not familiar with the case, I read through everyone's replies before I posted mine.

In light of the fact that he and the girl were only 3 years apart, I find it interesting/appalling that this guy got ten years in prison. Women who kill their children get less time!

[BlueNgold]

Why does everyone seem to want to forget that this was prosecuted as a FORCIBLE RAPE. Just because he was acquited on that charge it cannot now be said that it was a consensual act. To my knowledge, the victim has yet to say that and until she does I for one will not insult a victim in that manner. This was a lesser included charge to the more serious charges of rape. Had the victim claimed a consensual encounter then this would be a misdemeanor stat rape case. She reported this as a rape, not statutory .. but as an assualt .. it was prosecuted, and he was convicted on this charge as part of that prosecution. This was not a stand alone charge made by a prosecutor looking to ruin a kids life with a spurious court case.

[tsomer]

It doesn't sound like he was railroaded.

From an AP story:
"On Feb. 10, 2003, Dixon claims he met the girl _ a sophomore classmate in a home economics class _ after school and arranged to visit her in a classroom trailer, where she was working as a student custodian.

The two had sex on a table in the back of the classroom. She told school counselors about the incident, and they contacted police. Dixons scholarship was revoked after his arrest.

"The person I thought I knew, she was pretty smart, she was kind of laid back, but she was very talkative, friendly. She loved to joke around," Dixon told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from prison. "She seemed pretty sweet to me until this went down. It was like she's a totally different person."

[snowstorm12]

I for one don't think he was innocent of rape. Dixon kept changing his story about this incident and he lied at first he denied knowing the girl at all. I believe the girl's story that there was no previous contact with Dixon until he started pestering her that day about what rooms she would be cleaning that day. As far as I know no other teachers or classmates saw them have any friendly contact in the past or budding romance. I know the jury acquitted him because they didn't like her explanation of how he got her clothes came off but victims of crime, especially young victims, are usually confused and aren't perfect on every detail.

Dixon also had two previous sexual misconduct allegations against him involving 2 underage girls under 15. One occasion, he was exposing himself, taking his penis out in a classroom, standing behind a girl and having her turn around. The girl in that incident was shocked. Dixon says it was just a joke. "It was stupid, a stupid prank, you know. It didn't really happen the way they said it happened," he said. "I had shorts on, and my private, you know, was out. She looked at it, and we was all just laughing about it." The next year there was another incident, in which Dixon allegedly groped a member of the high school track team after practice. "That didn't happen at all," said Dixon. "It was made up. There was no touching, however they said it." According to Conway, who has also investigated this allegation, the girl said "Mr. Dixon placed his hands inside of her shorts." The school didn't contact any police for both incidents and just contacted the parents and he was suspended.

I think they had a show on Oprah last week and of course the entire show was trying to show Marcus as victim.

[Lazamataz]

Ten years in prison

During my two month stay in jail, I heard it called 10-do-2 or 10-do-1. You get sentenced 10, you do 2 or 1 years or some other number.

Still sucks, but it's a little more doable.

[11th_VA]

For some reason, I don't think the Barney Franks of the world will be sceaming "States Rights" over this one ... JMHO

[Lorianne]

He broke the law, the STATUATORY rape law. The sentence may be harsh but that is a separate issue. The voters of that state can work to reduce the punishment for statuatory rape if they so wish.

If others have been given similar sentence for similar crime in that state, then it at least "equal justice under the law".