A 75-year-old Yazoo County man was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a family member several years ago.
But based on a court order by Judge Jannie Lewis, Harvey Williams’ sentence was suspended, placing him on probation and forcing him to register as a sex offender. He is also forbidden to have contact with minors without the supervision of their guardians.
District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver said Williams pleaded guilty to gratification of lust after he fondled an underage family member who may have been as young as ten years old when the assault occurred.
“The victim did not want to go forward with a trial,” Malone-Oliver said. “She simply wanted him to admit what he had done and that she wasn’t making it up. The defendant agreed to admitting what happened, eliminating the need for going to trial.”
Malone-Oliver said most victims do not wish to move forward with trials. It is a traumatic experience that many don’t want to publicly revisit.
Malone-Oliver also said the hardest thing about cases such as these is that it involves family members.
“It is a situation where nobody wins,” she said. “It is still traumatic, but at least it gives the victim some closure. But entire families have split over situations like these.”
Malone-Oliver said it is also about preventing the offender from hurting anyone else.
“At the end of the day, we know who the predators are since they have to register as a sex offender,” Malone-Oliver said. “People can be more aware, alert.”
