Man sentenced to 25 years for sexual assault of minor

STARKVILLE, Miss. – A Mississippi man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole for the sexual battery of a 12-year-old.

The Commercial Dispatch of Columbus reports 34-year-old James D. Sudduth pleaded guilty Tuesday. Sudduth had been arrested in December of 2016 for engaging in oral sex with a child in an Oktibbeha County Hospital Regional Medical Center bathroom.

A charge of knowingly exposing the child to HIV was added in January, but dropped as part of his plea. Court records show Sudduth had been previously indicted on two unrelated identity theft charges and an uttering forgery charge.

Sudduth must also register as a sex offender.

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Information from: The Commercial Dispatch, http://www.cdispatch.com