An evangelical Ohio preacher accused in Towns County of repeatedly raping a child has avoided prison mostly because of his attorney, who's said to have used his position as Georgia house speaker to delay court proceedings.
Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jeff Langley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a deal for 10 years' probation was the best he could do after the repeated delays. Jason Brothers pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexual battery of a minor and admitted to sexually touching the victim, now a 21-year-old woman.
Langley says the case would've been stronger if it was tried years ago as it now relied on witnesses remembering instances from 2012.
Republican Speaker David Ralston told the newspaper the case's outcome wasn't unusual. A former FBI agent says Ralston has delayed 226 cases about 966 times since becoming speaker in 2010.
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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com
AccessWDUN's Ken Stanford contributed to this story
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/7/815293/preacher-gets-deal-in-rape-case-after-years-of-court-delays