Man gets 30 years for pimping teen runaway

By LARRY HARTSTEIN

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Atlanta man who pimped out a 14-year-old runaway he met on Metropolitan Avenue pleaded guilty Thursday morning and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Kenton Ballard, 32, pleaded guilty in Fulton County Superior Court to statutory rape, aggravated child molestation, aggravated assault, pandering and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Prosecutors gave this account of the victim’s eight-month ordeal:

Ballard met the 14-year-old girl in 2005 and she moved in with him. He had sex with her, beat and pistol-whipped her. Eventually he began to prostitute her, sending her out to Metropolitan Avenue to solicit men.

The victim’s mother spotted her on the street in 2006 and called police. Ballard was soon arrested.

Prosecutors began presenting their case this week, prompting the guilty plea.

The lead prosecutor was Senior Assistant District Attorney Dalia Racine, of the Crimes Against Women and Children Unit.