A Mississippi man pleaded guilty to sexual assault Wednesday of a 15-year-old girl he was caring for.
Madison County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett announced that 41-year-old Michael Anthony Lee has pleaded guilty to the charge. At the time of the incident, Lee was living with his wife, and the two were foster parents registered and licensed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
Michael Anthony Lee has pleaded guilty to sexual assault of a foster child who was in his custody for six months.
(Madison County District Attorney)
The agency placed a 15-year-old girl in Lee’s care, and according to a Bramlett press release, Lee began having sexual contact with the girl shortly thereafter.
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Lee continued to abuse the victim during the six months that he lived in the house. Once the foster child was moved to another home in northern Mississippi, a new foster parent discovered that Lee sent the victim sexually explicit text messages.
The new foster parents notified Child Protective Services and an investigation was launched involving the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and CPS.
During the investigation, a search warrant was executed on Lee’s phone, which contained pornographic images of the foster child.
The roof of a police patrol car at night, with the blue and red lights flashing.
(iStock)
Lee has pleaded guilty to sexual assault and faces up to 30 years in prison.
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Bramlett said Lee will not be eligible for parole or early release and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 31.
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“Children in our foster system have already had to deal with a lot,” Bramlett said in the statement. “For a foster parent to then sexually abuse a child in their care is beyond horrific. I commend CPS, the Madison Sheriff’s Office, and the assistant district attorneys in our office for their excellent work on this case that resulted in this guilty plea. I applaud this boy’s courage and strength.”
