nachtspiegel
January 13th, 2009, 09:37 AM
'Candyman' Sentenced To Probation
George Nix Faced Rape, Sodomy Charges
By Hailee Lampert/WLKY
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A man who pleaded no contest in October to charges of sexually abusing a Louisville teenager will not serve any time in prison.
Monday's ruling comes after George Nix entered an Alford plea last October, maintaining his innocence but admitting there's enough evidence to convict him if the case had gone to trial.
"I just want to say that what he did was wrong. And it's not going to defeat me," said the victim. "It's going to make me stronger."
The 13-year-old girl addressed the court in front of the man accused of sexually abusing her.
Nix, 79, is charged with seven counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, three counts of sexual abuse and unlawful transaction for crimes prosecutors say he committed over a two-year period.
On Monday, the man known as "The Candyman" went before a judge to learn his fate.
"It's a hard decision here, and if I thought that it would help the victim to put you in prison then I would put you in prison," said Judge Mary Shaw. "I don't think that's going to help her."
Instead, the judge sentenced Nix to five years of probation, and he was ordered to spend the first four months of the sentence on home incarceration.
Nix's attorney, Bart Adams, said if the case had gone to trial, Nix could have faced 20 years to life in prison.
"He didn't want to take that chance. He's 79 years old," Adams said. "He felt if he went to prison, he'd die in prison, so he took the agreement that kept him out of prison."
But the commonwealth's attorney's office said even though both sides agreed to the deal, the victim's family is disappointed Nix won't be spending any time behind bars.
"When it doesn't turn out that way, it's sort of a let down from how we expected the system to work, and I think they probably felt that," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Dorislee Gilbert. "And I think ultimately, they're not necessarily dissatisfied but disappointed."
Nix's sentence also requires him to register as a sex offender, undergo treatment and prohibits him from having contact with the victim or any other children.
If he violates the terms of his probation -- he faces 12 years in prison.
http://www.wlky.com/news/18464983/detail.html
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This, quite frankly, makes me sick. This man lived around the corner from me from the time I was 6 until I was 9, when I moved. He used to try and get kids to come into his house by giving them candy, hence, the name "Candyman." I thought he had been convicted before; he raped my friend's cousin when she was 13.
George Nix Faced Rape, Sodomy Charges
By Hailee Lampert/WLKY
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A man who pleaded no contest in October to charges of sexually abusing a Louisville teenager will not serve any time in prison.
Monday's ruling comes after George Nix entered an Alford plea last October, maintaining his innocence but admitting there's enough evidence to convict him if the case had gone to trial.
"I just want to say that what he did was wrong. And it's not going to defeat me," said the victim. "It's going to make me stronger."
The 13-year-old girl addressed the court in front of the man accused of sexually abusing her.
Nix, 79, is charged with seven counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, three counts of sexual abuse and unlawful transaction for crimes prosecutors say he committed over a two-year period.
On Monday, the man known as "The Candyman" went before a judge to learn his fate.
"It's a hard decision here, and if I thought that it would help the victim to put you in prison then I would put you in prison," said Judge Mary Shaw. "I don't think that's going to help her."
Instead, the judge sentenced Nix to five years of probation, and he was ordered to spend the first four months of the sentence on home incarceration.
Nix's attorney, Bart Adams, said if the case had gone to trial, Nix could have faced 20 years to life in prison.
"He didn't want to take that chance. He's 79 years old," Adams said. "He felt if he went to prison, he'd die in prison, so he took the agreement that kept him out of prison."
But the commonwealth's attorney's office said even though both sides agreed to the deal, the victim's family is disappointed Nix won't be spending any time behind bars.
"When it doesn't turn out that way, it's sort of a let down from how we expected the system to work, and I think they probably felt that," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Dorislee Gilbert. "And I think ultimately, they're not necessarily dissatisfied but disappointed."
Nix's sentence also requires him to register as a sex offender, undergo treatment and prohibits him from having contact with the victim or any other children.
If he violates the terms of his probation -- he faces 12 years in prison.
http://www.wlky.com/news/18464983/detail.html
---
This, quite frankly, makes me sick. This man lived around the corner from me from the time I was 6 until I was 9, when I moved. He used to try and get kids to come into his house by giving them candy, hence, the name "Candyman." I thought he had been convicted before; he raped my friend's cousin when she was 13.