Septuagenarian sex offender charged with harassment, sexual misconduct after Lockwood Dollar General incident

The Dade County Prosecuting Attorney charged a registered sex offender from Miller with a felony harassment charge and sexual misconduct following an August 17 incident in the Lockwood Dollar General.

According to the probable cause statement, James E. Motley (DOB 1947) harassed a female worker, asking specifically for here when he came to the store.

From the probable cause statement:

When he would speak to her, he would ask her several personal questions such as whether she is married and how old she is. A.N. stated that he eventually stopped asking her questions, but would instead make comments to her such as telling her she is pretty and also telling her that they are friends for all time. 

A.N. stated that she was very uncomfortable with his interactions with her and that she would try to actively hide from him whenever he would come in. 

A.N. stated that on 08/17/2024 at approximately 1206 hours, she was standing at the cash register when James Motley had asked for the key to the restroom. A.N. stated that James Motley leaned over toward her and asked her which door was the men's restroom, which A.N. told him. 

A.N. stated that James Motley turned to walk toward the restroom and while doing so, A.N. heard him unzip his pants. A.N. also heard James Motley messing around with his pants, as if he was doing something more than just unzipping the fly on his pants. A.N. stated that she turned away from James Motley, as she could not believe what was happening. 

A.N. stated that after James Motley entered the restroom, she ran to the office and locked herself inside because she was fearful of James Motley due to bis past interactions with her as well as what he did that day, and she was the only employee in the store at the time. 

A.N. called her manager, J.M., to come up there with her and filled her in on what had happened. A.N. and J.M. reviewed the security cameras, and the camera that is in the hallway where the restrooms and the office are that points out toward the registers showed that James Motley had not only unzipped his pants, but also {exposed himself} as he walked away from the register where A.N. was standing. 

Motley was sentenced to 10 years after being convicted on two counts of sodomy in 1992 in Jackson County and was charged with being a sex offender loitering near a school in Lawrence County in 2018.