A Tennessee man was recently charged with several crimes after an alleged incident in a teen girl's bedroom. An investigation resulted in charges of sexual battery and aggravated burglary against the 25-year-old. It all unfolded in Memphis as the girl was apparently asleep in bed in the middle of the night.
According to reports, the 15-year-old was asleep when the man allegedly reached in through a window. He attempted to pull off the underwear of the sleeping teenage girl. She then jumped out of bed and began screaming for help. Police were called to the house shortly thereafter.
Investigators took fingerprints from the window the man is said to have reached through to get to the girl. The authorities say that those fingerprints match those of the individual under arrest. After he was interviewed by authorities, he was arrested and charged. A court date has also been set.
Criminal charges of sexual battery or another sex-related offense require careful preparation, particularly in view of the potentially serious consequences that typically result from a conviction. Jail time, probation, fines and registry on a sex offender list are all possible consequences following a finding of guilt. However, these types of charges often hinge on the word of the alleged victim. In this case, they appear to be based upon the statements of the teen girl as well as the fingerprint evidence gathered during the investigation by Tennessee law enforcement personnel. That will likely be a primary focus of the efforts by defense counsel to ensure the accused man's rights are fully protected throughout the proceedings.
Source: fox13memphis.com, "Man accused of breaking into home, fondling sleeping teen", March 24, 2016
