A sexual assault charge can be difficult to deal with on a personal and legal level, and these cases can be highly personal and complicated in nature. When allegations of a sexual assault make the news, it can be even more challenging to handle. A Tennessee community is rattled after the arrest of a 23-year-old man. He faces sexual assault charges stemming from an incident involving an elderly lady.
Reportedly, an 81-year-old woman went for a walk around a church parking lot. The woman apparently likes to walk around that area early in the morning before church hours and before there is any security present at the lot. Police say that she was raped in the lot.
Sometime after the incident was reported, police apparently located the victim's car at an apartment building. The suspect was said to be in the vehicle. He was surrounded by police and taken into custody at the scene. He has been charged with evading arrest and rape.
A rape charge, as with other sexual assault charges, can mean prison time, fines and being labeled a sexual offender -- but only if the accusations are actually established in court by appropriate evidence. This individual must now focus, alongside his defense counsel, on the aggravated rape and evading arrest charges currently pending against him. As with anyone accused of a crime in Tennessee, the man has a right to fair and impartial proceedings. That includes the guarantee of the presumption of innocence, which can only be overcome in court by submitting proof that meets the stringent requirements of our criminal justice system. In doing so, the courts strive to ensure that no innocent person will be wrongly convicted of crimes he or she did not commit.
Source: wreg.com, "23-year-old man in custody after attack on elderly woman", Eryn Taylor and Katie Rufener, July 2, 2015