A Tuskegee man pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and saw another count of first-degree rape and five counts of sexual abuse of child under 12 dismissed.
Larry Gresham, 33, of Tuskegee, was in front of Judge Steve Perryman this week as he agreed to a plea deal that stems from an August 2023 arrest by the Tallassee Police Department.
According to court records, Gresham was sentenced to 20 years in prison but will serve only five years in a split sentence. He will have to report as a sex offender when he is released. If Gresham commits another crime, he will serve the remaining 15 years.
Tallassee investigators got involved in August 2023 when, according to court documents, a woman and three children filed a motion for protection from abuse.
“A child confided in their mother on Aug. 17, (2023) that [Gresham] touched her private parts,” the motion states. “He made [the child] live in fear if she told anyone about the abuse.”
Tallassee police Lt. Jon Rawls said investigators worked with the Tri-County Child Advocacy Center and the Fifth Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office investigating allegations made by a child and obtained warrants.
“The first-degree rape charges stem from incidents with a child under the age of 12,” Rawls said.
The mother of the victim spoke to The Tallassee Tribune and said Bikers Against Child Abuse and others have been very supportive of her and her children.
“They became part of my community,” the mother said. “They along with those in East Tallassee and Reeltown. Many of them know our story and have been very supportive every step of the way.”
The mother agreed to the plea deal even though she doesn’t think it’s enough time in prison.
“I didn’t want my daughter to relive the abuse,” the mother said. “After speaking with my daughter about it, he will have to live his life on eggshells. If he screws up in the slightest way, he will go to jail.”
Now the family will move on with their life as best they can.
“At the end of the day I’m glad this chapter is over,” the mother said. “It is something that she will have to deal with the rest of her life.”
