Appeal Denied in Stat Rape Case

Jennings

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — A Starkville man serving 30 years for statutory rape and other crimes will remain in prison.

The state Court of Appeals ruled this week that Oktibbeha Circuit Court Judge Lee Howard made no errors when he sentenced 29-year-old James Jennings. Jennings pleaded guilty in December 2011 to statutory rape and two counts of fondling and was sentenced to a total of 30 years.

The charges stemmed from incidents in 2008 when Jennings was 25 and the girl was 13.

In his appeal, Jennings claimed the indictment was flawed and that he received ineffective counsel. The Appeals Court rejected both arguments.

Categories: Crime, Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *