ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for attempting to rape a woman on a highway overpass in Cherokee County.

On Aug. 1, 2024, a woman reported that she was assaulted by an unknown man on the overpass at Highway 92 and I-75 in the Acworth area early that morning, according to the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, which covers Cherokee County.

The suspect, later identified as Sedric Charles Williams Jr., 33, left the scene before law enforcement arrived.

Sedric Charles Williams Jr. (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)

The victim told Cherokee County deputies that while she was walking from the McDonald's to the RaceTrac on Highway 92, a man approached her and asked if she wanted to have sex. When she refused, he followed her onto the overpass and assaulted her, prosecutors said.

The next day, a deputy located Williams in the Acworth area of Bartow County. While speaking with law enforcement, Williams asked,  Is this about the girl?  and claimed he  just touched her back. 

 Those admissions, made before the defendant was even told that he was being charged with a crime, became key pieces of evidence supporting the victim's account,  Assistant District Attorney Rebecca N. Visockis, who co-prosecuted the case, said in a statement.

A witness also saw Williams chase the woman, video surveillance helped identify him at the scene, and DNA evidence further corroborated the victim's report, according to the DA's office.

During the investigation and prosecution, prosecutors also became aware of an earlier sexual battery case involving Williams. That incident happened in September 2023 in the city of Acworth, in Cobb County, less than a mile from the August 2024 assault.

The victim in that case described circumstances similar to those reported in Cherokee County. Williams was charged and later pleaded guilty to sexual battery in that case.

During the trial for the 2024 assault, prosecutors called nine witnesses to testify, including both the Cherokee County victim and the prior victim.

On Oct. 1, Williams was convicted of one cou
#atlantanewsfirst   #crimewatchatlanta