Wednesday, August 15, 2001
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Wednesday, August 15, 2001 |
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Man avoids trial again, this time with guilty plea By JOHN
MUNFORD
Although he missed his first two scheduled trials, a local man accused of child molestation didn't have any trouble making the third trial date. At the last minute, Farrell Lloyd Pitts avoided a trial by pleading guilty to child molestation Monday. The charges stemmed from reports that he molested a 6-year-old boy in April of 1998. Pitts was sentenced Monday to four years in prison followed by six years probation by Superior Court Judge Christopher Edwards. In addition to the prison sentence, Pitts will be required to register as a sex offender and have no contact with any minors while he is on probation. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped two related charges against Pitts: aggravated sodomy and enticing a child for indecent purposes. Pitts avoided two previously scheduled trials when he was hospitalized both times for heart trouble. After the last trial was postponed, Edwards ordered defense attorneys to prepare an electronic system that would allow Pitts to observe the trial and communicate with his attorneys even if he was hospitalized.
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