A 27-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges that he kidnapped and raped a 14-year-old girl last year.
It was the second time that he entered the plea in Forsyth Superior Court. Last month, Judge Stuart Albright rejected the plea after the victim recounted how Ramos kidnapped her at knifepoint and raped her three times.
Assistant District Attorney Pansy Glanton and Ramos' attorney, Ben Porter, took the plea agreement to Judge Carl Fox on Wednesday. Fox accepted the plea agreement and sentenced Jose Ramos to 18 to 22 years in prison.
According to Glanton, Ramos entered the girl's house with a broken beer bottle. The girl was in the company of her boyfriend and several other people.
Ramos, who had done work for the family, told people to get out of the house, and then held a knife to the girl and forced her to go into the woods, where he raped her, Glanton said during a July 22 hearing.
Albright held the case open until the next day.
The victim, now 15, came into court and told Albright her version of the assault. Afterward, Albright rejected the plea.
Porter said yesterday that Albright rejected the plea because the judge wanted to give Ramos more time than was allowed under the plea agreement.
The same plea agreement was presented to Fox on Wednesday, Porter said.
He said that his client told the judge that he disagreed with Glanton's version of events. Porter also said that Ramos had been drinking heavily that night.
Ramos is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador and will likely be deported once he is released from prison.
mhewlett@wsjournal.com
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