Mississippi man sentenced to 30 years for sexual abuse of Gwinnett County teen, DA says
A Mississippi man will serve decades in prison for the sexual abuse of a teenage girl in Georgia, Gwinnett County, officials say.
A jury found 25-year-old Caleb Jamal Burton guilty of aggravated sexual battery, aggravated child molestation, and six counts of child molestation.
Authorities say Burton forced a 15-year-old to do sex acts against her will at a Suwanee home between April and November of 2021. When the girl told her family about the abuse, officials say Burton, who was 19 at the time, fled to Mississippi, where he was arrested and extradited back to Gwinnett County.
The jury saw hours of the victim's 2021 forensic interview during the trial and deliberated for three hours before coming back with the guilty verdicts.
"We are pleased that this outcome can begin to bring some closure to this victim and her family," Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. "And we are thankful for the trial team who worked diligently for this result."
After the verdict, a judge sentenced Burton to 30 years with 25 to serve in prison.
