ATHENS, Ala. – A state appeals court has agreed to review the sentence of a north Alabama man who avoided prison despite being convicted on three rape charges in a series of attacks on a former neighbor.
The Decatur Daily reported today the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals will look at the case of Austin Clem, 25.
A court spokesman declined comment on when the judges might rule.
Clem was convicted in September on three counts of rape in a series of sexual assaults on a former neighbor going back years, but Limestone County Circuit Judge James Woodroof this month gave him a sentence that does not require time in prison.
The victim is upset with the light sentence, and the jury foreman said members expected Clem to serve time in prison.