At this hour: a plea of guilt

A 39-year old man stands in Oconee General Sessions Court and admits his guilt in taking indecent liberties with a teenage girl. As part of a negotiated sentence, Jamie Garner Smith is pleading guilty to the charge of assault and battery second degree. The sentence, as recommended by assistant solicitor Lindsey Simmons, would be three years in prison, suspended to three years probation and the requirements of sex offender treatment and registry. Speaking for the victim, Patricia Ragsdale asked Judge Macaulay not to slap the defendant’s wrist but send a message that’ll discourage others from similar kinds of behavior. The judge was told that Smith’s involvement with the victim started when the defendant starting attending her job and the indecent liberties started when Smith became youth minister of the girl’s church.