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Judge
sentences man in assault
By Marty Roney
Montgomery Advertiser
A Prattville man whose name has been tied to the Shannon
Paulk case was sentenced in Autauga County Circuit Court on assault
charges in an unrelated case.
Ty Foster was indicted on nine counts of sodomy involving a minor boy
and girl. The sodomy charges aren't related to Paulk's case. Foster pled
guilty to two counts of assault Oct. 7. Judge Sibley Reynolds sentenced
Foster to a 10-year split sentence; Foster must serve a minimum of three
years and the judge may decide later to impose the rest of the sentence.
"I agreed to the plea to keep the children from having to go to the
stand and testify," Foster told Reynolds before the sentence was handed
down. "If I go to jail, I can't be a father to my children. I have been
a productive citizen, I work and I vote. If I go to jail I'll be a
burden on the taxpayer because I will be in jail, and my children will
be on welfare because I won't be there to support them."
The mother of the victims also was given the opportunity to speak during
the proceedings.
"My children will never have a normal life, what he's done to them has
destroyed my life," the woman said. "I ask for justice. I ask he goes to
prison. My children need to be able to go out in public without having
to look over their shoulder."
After release from prison, Foster has supervised probation for five
years. Defense attorney Chip Cleveland had asked for probation, or if
jail time was levied, that Foster serve the sentence in the Autauga
County Jail where he could be placed on work release.
Assistant District Attorney Glenn Goggans questioned Foster's motives in
entering the guilty plea to Reynolds.
"With nine counts of sodomy, he was looking at the potential of hundreds
of years in prison," Goggans said. "We had strong physical evidence the
crime occurred. I ask you to give him the maximum sentence because
frankly that's what he deserves."
Foster seemed stunned when Reynolds asked him if he understood the
sentence.
"Thirty-six months in jail?" Foster said in a questioning whisper.
"Yes sir," the judge said.
Foster pleaded guilty during his sodomy trial in Baldwin County. The
trial was moved due to publicity about Foster being named a suspect in
the abduction and death of Paulk, who was abducted from her Candlestick
Park neighborhood in August 2001. Her body was found about six weeks
later in a public hunting area north of Prattville. No one has been
charged in Paulk's case
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