Stanley Henry “Hank” Hatcher, 42, from Opp admitted last Thursday to two charges of first degree sodomy before a Circuit Court Judge Lex Short. He was sentenced to 25 years prison.
Investigation into Hatcher started when the Opp Police Department received a complaint of sexual abuse on an infant in the month of October, 2022. The investigation involved interviews with a variety of children as well as an extensive discussion with Hatcher. Through these interviews, investigators discovered that Hatcher was involved in oral sex on a 10 year old child twice. Hatcher admitted his conduct in a police interview.
The Assistant District Attorney Nikki Stephens prosecuted the case for the state.
“One one of the most tragic aspects of this case was that after the arrest of Hatcher I was able to have several former victims come to me from various jurisdictions regarding the abuse Hatcher made against the victims. ‘He molested me and my brother’ as well as “he touched my daughter” were the most common complaints made by former clients,” Stephens said.
District Attorney Walt Merrell praised the team of professionals who handled in the case as well as their work.
“The hardest part is knowing that we’ll never restore the innocence of these children once more however we can ensure they know that they are safe from those such as Hatcher and others in the near future. And, there are a lot of individuals willing to take the time to listen to their stories and demand justice for them,” Merrell said.
Stephens said she would like to express her gratitude to the detectives from the Opp Police Department, and especially Lt. Ian McCulloch, to the Department of Human Resources, as well as the Covington County Children Advocacy Center’s staff. “Most of all, I want to acknowledge my 10-year-old client for her courage in speaking out and telling her experience. She has been interviewed, testified in front of the grand jury and she has not wavered. I hope that all victims, both children as well as adults, appreciate her bravery and gain courage to speak out too,” Stephens commented.
Due to being the juvenile victim’s age, Hatcher will not be qualified for parole or probation and will not be able to be eligible for “good period of time” which means he’ll legally be sentenced to 25 time in jail. He will be required to declare himself an sex offender for the rest of his all of his life.
The article Opp Man pleads guilty to two charges of sodomy was published in The Andalusia Star-News.
