By D. E. Smoot
Phoenix Staff Writer
March 03, 2007 12:20 am
—
After more than 8 1/2 hours of deliberations, a Wagoner County jury found a Porter man guilty of four counts of rape, lewd acts and indecent exposure.
James Paul Willhite, 43, of Porter, was accused of sexually molesting two children, a 4-year-old and a 12-year-old.
The jury recommended Willhite serve 50 years in prison for first-degree rape, two 20-year sentences for lewd acts to a child under 16 and 10 years for indecent exposure. He will be formally sentenced April 4.
Willhite’s trial, which began Monday, stretched throughout the week, with the state resting its case Thursday. Throughout the first four days, Assistant District Attorney Grant Huskey offered testimony from nine witnesses, including the two victims, a sibling, a Porter Police Officer, a Wagoner County deputy and two experts from the Justice Center in Tulsa.
Defense lawyer Chad Richardson of Muskogee put on three witnesses in Willhite’s defense, two other children and a Department of Human Services worker. The DHS worker, Richardson said, disputed the oldest victim’s claims that Willhite threatened to harm her and others if she betrayed his confidence.
“She (the DHS worker) said the oldest girl told her nothing about any threats being made when she interviewed the girl after the allegations were made,” Richardson said.
Huskey said Willhite began molesting the 12-year-old when she was 6 years old. The alleged sexual acts, however, were not revealed until January 2005. It was more than a year later, in February 2006, when Willhite was charged with 11 felonies. He was tried this week for 10 felonies, which included:
• Two counts of first-degree rape;
• One count of rape by instrumentation;
• One count of soliciting a minor for indecent photos;
• Two counts of indecent exposure; and
• Four counts of lewd act to a minor child.
One count of lewd act to a minor child was dismissed before the jury began its deliberations.
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Photos
Willhite