(ICYMI) Man Sentenced for 2013 Kidnapping, Attempted Rape of Taxi Driver

A Douglas County judge sentenced a man to 20 years in prison for the kidnapping and attempted rape of a taxi driver he called for a ride.

Matthew Brian Sawyer was sentenced after pleading guilty on the morning his trial was to begin, as jurors were waiting to be taken into the courtroom, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release posted on Facebook.

He was sentenced Monday by Superior Court Judge David T. Emerson. His prison time will be followed by 10 years of probation and he will have to register as a sex offender.

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Prosecutors said that on Apri 12, 2013, Sawyer called the victim from his cell phone for a ride from Villa Rica to Douglasville. After he was picked up, he directed the victim to drive him to an undeveloped and secluded cul-de-sac, where he pulled out a knife, the DA’s office said.

“He then grabbed the victim by her throat, dragged her around the vehicle, and threw her between the back seats of her SUV where he proceeded to strip her of her clothing and attempted to rape her,” the district attorney’s office said in the news release. “As the Defendant was attempting to rape the victim, the Defendant ejaculated on her person and clothing. The Defendant then fled the scene.”

Sawyer was identified via DNA evidence and a photo lineup shown to the victim.

The DA’s Office said Sawyer claimed he was drunk and didn’t remember committing any crimes.

District Attorney Brian Fortner called the conviction “A just result which ensures this predator will be in prison for the next 20 years and unable victimize anyone else.” He went on to say that, “We remain committed to aggressively prosecuting dangerous sex offenders like this Defendant.”

Photo: Matthew Brian Sawyer; Douglas County District Attorney’s Office