Two
cases involving child molestation were prosecuted in Houston County Superior
Court on Monday, putting two men behind bars.
Billy Joe Lane,
39, of Warner Robins pled guilty to aggravated child molestation and was sentenced
25 years without parole. Upon release, he will be subject to rigorous sex
offender probation for life and may not have any contact with the victim.
According
to a press release from the District Attorney’s office, on June 12, 2011, Lane
took an underage female victim to a motel room on Watson Boulevard. Once
inside, Lane gave the victim alcohol and raped her.
The
release states that when a witness called police, Lane immediately jumped in
his truck and fled the scene. He attempted to sell his vehicle for cash and
told witnesses that he was going to Oklahoma. He also called the motel desk
clerk to see if the police had arrived and offered the clerk $50 to not tell
the police that he had called.
Lane
absconded and a three-month manhunt ensued.
The
District Attorney said Dep. Aundray Barnes of the U.S. Marshal’s Service
located the defendant in Maryland, where he was apprehended during a traffic
stop.
Also
on Monday, Douglas Draven Brown, 17, was sentenced to 40 years in prison for
child molestation.
According
to a press release from the District Attorney’s office, Brown is required to
serve the first 16 years of his sentence in prison. Upon release, he will be
subject to rigorous sex offender conditions and may not have any contact with
children or the victim.
According
to the release, in 2011 Brown engaged in a pattern of forced sodomy on an
8-year-old boy. Sgt. Broom of the Sheriff’s Office elicited a confession from
Brown, who admitted that he had been sexually abusing the child for
months.
Assistant
District Attorney John Fowler said, “These sentences reflect the serious nature
of these crimes. Hopefully both victims will begin to find closure with these
admissions of guilt.”
District
Attorney George Hartwig said, “I am extremely proud of our Sheriff’s Office and
the Warner Robins Police Department for their commitment to justice. These are
difficult cases, and today’s results show that our law enforcement is committed
to justice for our victims.”
HHJ News
