Manatee man gets life for molesting 9-year-old

BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - A Manatee County was sentenced to life in prison Monday for sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl who lived nearby, prosecutors say.

Willie James Burton was convicted after a two-day jury trial in Bradenton.

On Aug. 7, 2020, Burton called the child into his bedroom and asked her to remove her clothing. When she refused, he began to molest her by putting his hand into her pants and rubbing her genital area.

The girl quickly returned home and told her mother, who called police. An examination of the girl’s clothing collected DNA used to help convict Burton of lewd or lascivious molestation by a person over 18 years of age upon a child less than 12 years of age.