FORMER TROUP COACH SENTENCED TO 35 YEARS

PHOTO OF SUTTON

10/23/2006 -- Former Troup coach Samuel "Tony" Sutton Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to raping a 14-year-old Tyler girl and to sleeping with a student.

He entered into a plea agreement with the state Monday morning before his jury trial was scheduled to begin. Sutton was sentenced to 35 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child for raping the 14-year-old. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a child for having sex with a 15-year-old Troup student.

He will serve the prison sentences at the same time, along with an 18-year term he received from a Smith County jury last year for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Sutton will have to serve 17½ years before he is eligible for parole and he will receive credit for the time he has been incarcerated.

DNA lab tests showed Sutton's saliva was found on the cheek and a scratch on the ear of the 14-year-old girl Sutton sexually assaulted. The victim testified during Sutton's aggravated assault punishment trial that the coach raped her in April 2005 at his apartment.

She said she was dragged into a bedroom and raped by Sutton, who covered her mouth when she tried to scream as another man held her down. Later, Sutton drove her home, dropped her off three blocks from her parents' house and told her that he would kill her if she told anyone. She immediately told her mother, who called authorities and took her to the hospital.

In her statement, the victim said Sutton's roommate, the man who held her down during the assault, called her four days after the incident and said, "He wanted to get with her again." He lived with Sutton and has not been charged.

A 15-year-old Troup student testified that Sutton had sex with her in November 2004.

She said she accompanied a friend to Sutton's apartment, where they watched a movie until the victim grew tired and Sutton offered his bed for her to sleep on. Later, he joined her there and had sex with her, she said, adding that she told her mother months later.

In her Troup Police report, she said she delayed telling the police because when she reported it to school officials, they "advised her not to be telling this" and placed her in an alternative school for several months.

She was later put in detention at Troup High School and called to the office to make a statement but refused, she stated, because she did not want to get into trouble and be "run out" of Troup like another girl did.

In her statement, she listed names of students -- which were blacked out of the report -- she said were Sutton's ex-girlfriend, a senior in high school, and his current girlfriend, who was in eighth grade at the time.

During Sutton's trial, Troup Independent School District Superintendent Marvin Beatty and middle school Principal Ava Johnson said they would hire Sutton back at the school if they could.

Sutton faced five years to life in prison for the aggravated sexual assault of a child and two to 20 years in prison for the sexual assault of a child.

Sutton, clad in a red Smith County Jail jumpsuit, held his head down and quietly answered the judge's questions during the hearing.

Judge Jack Skeen Jr., of the 241st District Court, followed the plea agreement recommendations Monday and sentenced Sutton. He also ordered that the defendant pay any restitution to the victims that could be determined by a post-sentence investigation.

The judge also considered a charge of improper relationship between educator and student -- a charge that Sutton acknowledged his guilt to. In the sentencing, Skeen said he also took notice of previous testimony from the two victims.

Sutton waived his right to appeal the prison terms.

Defense attorney Clifton Roberson represented Sutton, while Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham and Assistant DA Joe Murphy prosecuted the case.

Sutton was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 18 years in prison by a jury in September 2005 for breaking a beer bottle over a bar bouncer's head and stabbing him with it during an altercation at Outlaws on July 6, 2004.

He was convicted of misdemeanor criminal trespass after he returned to Outlaws after he was banned.

Longview defense attorney Darryl Bennett represented Sutton for the aggravated assault charge.

TONY SUTTON APPEARS IN PRE-TRIAL HEARING

10/20/2006 -- A former Troup coach charged with having sexual relations with students was brought back from a West Texas prison and appeared in court on Friday to prepare for his trial set on Monday.
Samuel "Tony" Sutton is serving an 18-year prison sentence after a Smith County jury convicted him in September of 2005 of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for breaking a beer bottle over a bar bouncer's head and stabbing him with it.

Clifton Roberson, Sutton's defense attorney on the sexual assault cases, said since his client has been incarcerated in West Texas, he was not prepared for the pre-trial hearing on Friday. He said he has been in plea negotiations with Smith County District Attorney Matt Bingham and he and Sutton's family members needed time to talk with the defendant about his case.

State District Judge Jack Skeen Jr., of the 241st District Court, set the pre-trial hearing for Monday morning. They are scheduled to select a Smith County jury on Monday afternoon for trial of the aggravated sexual assault of a child and sexual assault of a child cases.

Sutton has also been charged with two counts of improper relationship between educator and student.

Longview defense attorney Darryl Bennett withdrew from Sutton's case after the aggravated assault trial and Skeen appointed Roberson to defend Sutton.

Bingham has released some of Sutton's court file, including DNA lab tests that show Sutton's saliva was found on the cheek and a scratch on the ear of the 14-year-old girl Sutton is accused of raping. The victim testified during Sutton's aggravated assault trial that the coach raped her in April 2005 at his apartment.

Sutton told police the girl came to his house and around 10:30 p.m., her curfew, she began crying, saying she needed to get home. He said he got a friend to take her home.

A 15-year-old Troup student testified that Sutton had sex with her in November 2004. She said she accompanied a friend to Sutton's apartment, where they had sex.

In her police report, the girl stated she delayed telling police because she reported it to school officials and they placed her in an alternative school. She was later called to the office to make a statement, but refused because she did not want to get into trouble.

Sutton, in his statement to police, said the girl came to his house and fell asleep. He said he began hearing rumors at school that he had slept with her.

During Sutton's trial, Troup ISD Superintendent Marvin Beatty said he would hire Sutton back at the school if he could. He said his office performed an investigation into the allegations and Sutton was allowed to remain with the district, adding that the girls recanted. [Must have been nigger victims, pressured into withdrawing their accusations by their "community." --L.D.]

Tyler NAACP President Ernest Deckard and former NAACP president Pearlie Henderson have said the jury verdict sentencing Sutton to 18 years for aggravated assault was too harsh.

Sutton was convicted of breaking a beer bottle over a bouncer's head and stabbing him with it after the man tried to subdue him during an altercation at Outlaws on July 6, 2004.

He was convicted of criminal trespass after he returned to Outlaws after he was banned.

Sutton testified that he did not hit the bouncer and he didn't know anything about the incident, adding that he didn't know he was banned so he returned to the club. ["Ahs don' know nuthin' 'bout dat." --L.D.]

The Twelfth Court of Appeals has issued an opinion refusing to grant Sutton a new trial for the aggravated assault.

Smith County Assistant District Attorney Joe Murphy represented the state in court on Friday.