Posted 4:07 am Thursday, July 05, 2012
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Canton Man Sentenced In Molestation
A Canton man will spend at least 25 years behind bars for the 2004 molestation of a 10 year-old girl.
According to a news release issued by the Van Zandt County District Attorney's Office, a jury sentenced Jerry Don Whatley to 50 years in prison on June 21.
He will be eligible for parole after serving half of that sentence.
Whatley was indicted for aggravated sexual assault of a child in December 2005.
The charge is a first-degree felony, punishable by five to 99 years incarceration.
In 2007, he jumped bail, according to the release, and was captured in Florida by U.S. Marshals five years later.
Whatley's conviction was handed down by a jury after 45 minutes of deliberation, according to the release.
