Gate City man sentenced to 16 years for sexually abusing 9-year-old relative

GATE CITY — A Gate City man convicted of sexually abusing a child over a decade ago was sentenced to prison Monday during an hourlong hearing in Scott County Circuit Court.

James Mark Turner, 51, 2099 Red Hill Road, Gate City, was given a 33-year prison sentence with all but 16 years suspended after entering Alford pleas to charges of sexual battery of a child under 13 by a relative, attempted forcible rape of a child, and forcible sodomy.

Turner’s charges stemmed from allegations that in 2001 he sodomized and fondled a then-9-year-old relative.

In addition to his sentence, Turner was ordered to submit to supervised probation, register as a sexual offender, and undergo counseling.

Turner issued an apology for his actions in a written statement before his sentence was given but maintained that he only fondled his victim a limited number of times while watching pornography and denied the allegations of attempted rape and sodomy.

Portions of the hearing were held in closed court Wednesday since Turner’s victim took the stand to testify.

Turner was indicted by a Scott County grand jury in January after his victim brought the allegations against him to authorities.

According to prosecutors, the incidents in question happened in 2001 at a residence in Gate City.

Authorities said Turner committed the sexual assault on occasions when the victim’s mother would work evenings, leaving Turner and the victim home alone.

On several occasions, Turner fondled the victim while they watched pornography.

Prosecutors said those actions — which occurred over the course of the victim’s second-grade school year — eventually led to the attempted rape, and later to at least three counts of sodomy, the last of which left the victim with physical injuries.

Turner’s case is the second sexual abuse cold case investigated by the Scott County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by the Scott County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office this year.

“We know there are more cases like this out there,” Scott County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Dan Fellhauer said. “No matter how long ago it happened, we want to know about it.”

In April, Grover Lynn Lucas, 48, of Nickelsville, was ordered to serve eight years of a 25-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to a charge of forcible rape stemming from an incident that occurred nearly six years before.