A man who asked a 13-year-old girl to get into his car as she walked to school was convicted Tuesday night by a Fulton County jury.
Dejuan Marshall, 35, was found guilty of criminal attempt to entice a child for indecent purposes and impeding normal traffic flow for trying to lure a teenager into his car, according to the district attorney's office. Despite the conviction, Marshall is a free man, District Attorney Paul Howard said.
On March 23, 2009, Marshall was driving along Fairburn Road and slowed to talk to the girl as she walked to Harper Archer Middle School, according to prosecutors.
When the girl declined to get in his car, Marshall continued to try to persuade her, saying "he wanted to get to know her better," the district attorney's office said. A school resource officer witnessed the incident and called Atlanta police, and Marshall was arrested.
Following a June 2009 indictment, a Fulton County Magistrate Judge granted a demurrer, which in effect dismissed the case before it was tried, Howard said. The DA's office filed an appeal with the Georgia Court of Appeals, which overturned the magistrate ruling.
The case was presented Monday to a jury, which returned its verdict the following day.
Marshall was sentenced to 15 years to serve one, which he already has done through time served, and five years of probation with the balance suspended.
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