Star student athlete accused of another sex crime

<p>A star high school football player has been freed from prison by Georgia's highest court, but he still faces another sex-related accusation _ this time by a 14-year-old girl.</p><p>Marcus Dixon was released Monday after nearly 15 months in prison because the Georgia Supreme Court ruled he should only have been prosecuted for misdemeanor statutory rape, not the more serious charge of aggravated child molestation, which comes with an automatic 10-year sentence.</p><p>Dixon's case got national attention because his supporters said he was targeted for being a black man who had sex with a white girl after school. At the time, he was 18 and she was 15.</p><p>Dixon, now 19, is also charged with misdemeanor sexual battery for forcing his hand down the front of a 14-year-old girl's pants after track practice in 2002.</p><p>"He got (the girl) to walk up to the bleacher/football area with him and then put his hand in her shorts," according to a court statement for the girl filed by her mother. "When she pushed him away repeatedly, he got mad and left, saying, 'If that is the way you want to be.'"</p><p>The Floyd County district attorney said Wednesday she hasn't decided whether to proceed with the 14-year-old's accusation because appeals are still pending for the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision.</p><p>"This is a pattern of conduct," said District Attorney Leigh Patterson. "After the appeals process is over, we're going to take a look at it, talk to the victim and her family and see what happens."</p><p>Dixon has pleaded not guilty to the sexual battery charge. A trial date has not been set. He could face up to a year in jail if convicted.</p><p>One of Dixon's attorneys, David Balser, urged prosecutors to lay off.</p><p>"I would be surprised if the district attorney used the power of her office to prevent Marcus from proceeding with his life," Balser said. "This was an event that Marcus denies occurred."</p><p>Dixon allegedly molested the 14-year-old in April 2002, but an accusation wasn't filed until after he was arrested on the sex charges involving the 15-year-old in February 2003.</p><p>Prosecutors say Dixon has a history of sexual offenses, including another time he's accused of exposing himself to a girl in class at Pepperell High School in Rome.</p><p>A lawsuit filed by the 15-year-old victim is seeking $5 million in damages from the school system for not property punishing Dixon for prior alleged offenses and a failure to report the incidents to police as required by law.</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/5/169565