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Posted on Fri, Apr 30, 2010 : 10:20 a.m.

Ypsilanti man sentenced to jail for sexual assault of 14-year-old girl in Ann Arbor hotel

By Art Aisner

An Ypsilanti man convicted of sexually assaulting an underage teenage girl he met on an AATA bus in early February was sentenced to jail, officials said.

Wayne Rankin, 25, was ordered to serve one year in the Washtenaw County Jail on one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, said Steve Hiller, chief deputy assistant prosecutor.

Wayne-Rankin.jpg

Wayne Rankin

Rankin pleaded guilty to the charge earlier this month. A single count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct was dismissed. Circuit Judge David Swartz also ordered him to serve two years of probation and pay more than $4,000 in fines, records stated.

Authorities said Rankin and friend Woodrow Roosevelt Williams met the 14-year-old victim and a 15-year-old girl on the bus one afternoon in early February, and they ended up spending a few days together. The sexual assault occurred at A Victory Inn on Washtenaw Avenue and was reported after an Amber Alert was issued due to the girl's disappearance. Police said drugs and alcohol were factors in the crime.

The girl showed up uninjured at the Eastern Michigan Department of Public Safety the day after the alert was issued. Both Rankin and Williams surrendered to police.

Williams, also 25 and from Ypsilanti, is accused of sexually assaulting the other girl and is scheduled to stand trial in June.

Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.