A Wesson man has been ordered to serve the full 20-year sentencehe received for the sexual battery of a 68-year-old woman lastMarch, according to Lincoln County Circuit Court records.

Willie C. Walker, 46, of 2850 Old Highway 51, Wesson, wassentenced by Judge Mike Smith last Friday after pleading guiltyearlier in the term.

Walker was charged with sexual battery in the assault on thewoman at her Brookhaven home on March 18, 2002. Court officialssaid the incident occured after Walker and a friend went to thewoman’s home and the friend left.

Assistant District Attorney Diane Jones said DNA evidence linkedWalker to the incident. In April 2002, three weeks after theincident, the victim died at a Brookhaven nursing home.

Walker was not charged in connection with the woman’s death.Citing a variety of ailments, Jones said they could have beenaggravated by the sexual battery but a connection between theincident and the death could have not have been proven incourt.

“We couldn’t have connected it enough to call it murder,” Jonessaid.

During sentencing, Walker was ordered to serve the 20 years dayfor day without the possibility of early release or parole. He wasalso ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $1,500 in attorney fees.

At the time of the March 2002 incident, Walker was on parolefrom a 10-year-sentence from a 1994 Lincoln County touching,handling or feeling a child for lustful purposes conviction. He wasordered to serve five years of the sentence and had been releasedin December 1999.

In other sentencing, Patrick Adam Cross pleaded guilty tounlawful taking of a motor vehicle and petty larcency and receiveda suspended sentence.

Cross, 31, of 144 East Markham Dr., Long Beach, received fiveyears on the vehicle charge and six months on the larceny charge.The concurrent sentence was suspended for five years probation.

He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and a total of $2,672in restitution.

Also last week, Timmie R. Owens, 29, of 1106 Ole Brook Road,pleaded guilty to failure to support minor children and was placedin the Intensive Supervision Program, or house arrest. He wassentenced to five years and given the opportunity to earn probationafter completing one year in ISP.

Owens was also ordered to pay a $500 fine and a total of $4,787in restitution, plus $75 a month in current child support.