Bobby James Walter Black
A 30-year-old Trenton, Ga., man who had been charged with having sex with a 16-year-old Chattanooga girl was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge.
Bobby James Walter Black, of 2780 Highway 136, also will avoid further jail time.
He was given a four-year prison sentence that was suspended on good behavior in his appearance in the courtroom of Judge Barry Steelman.
Prosecutor Andrew Coyle said Black, who was 29 at the time he was charged, was being allowed to plead guilty to mitigated statutory rape.
He had been charged with aggravated statutory rape.
He said family members, including her mother, step-mother and sister, were aware that the pair was having sex, including at her home with other family members present. No one in the family reported it.
Black spent time in jail before making bond.
Authorities said they began investigating a report by a school counselor where the girl attends.
A Child Protective Services worker filed for emergency temporary custody of the girl, giving custody to the girl's grandmother.
The report said there was reason to believe that the girl's mother and her husband knew about the relationship.
A relative said Black and the girl began dating in June. She said the couple had been having sex at their house and that Black was providing the girl with alcohol and marijuana.
The girl told authorities she met Black at the Red Lobster in May. She said they began having sex on a regular basis.