A man who fled from court before being convicted of child sex charges is back behind bars.
Elonzo A. Latham, 31, was arrested on Tuesday morning at the 400 block of 23rd Street South, Lowndes County Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said.
The U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force assisted in the arrest after Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a tip from Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers about where Latham was hiding, Hawkins said.
“Once we got the Crime Stoppers tip and we verified the information on the tip where he was hiding out or laying his head, we went over there first thing this morning and they apprehended him,” Hawkins said.
Latham was on trial before he failed to show up for closing arguments and was convicted for sexual battery of a child younger than 13 on May 21, according to a press release from 16th Circuit District Attorney Scott Colom’s office from the same day.
Latham was charged for the sexual battery of a 12-year-old female victim over a period of a year. The battery resulted in a pregnancy, which was terminated in Alabama, and DNA from the fetus matched Latham, Colom told The Dispatch on May 21.
Both the victim, now 13, and Latham testified at the trial, with Latham denying the charge.
Latham, who was out on bond, did not return to court after his testimony, and Judge Michelle Easterling issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
The jury deliberated for less than 15 minutes before returning a guilty verdict, Colom said.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 38 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
