Black man convicted of child rape bolts from courtroom

When Judge Robert Ervin announced that sentencing for Bobby Gene Jolly’s rape conviction would happen in two hours, Jolly bolted. The 61-year-old man abruptly stood and, with a high-pitched scream, made a dash in the direction of the jury room. Shouts and sobs erupted from spectators in the courtroom. Some family members jumped over benches, grabbing at each other. One woman who had been sitting on the defense side of the courtroom collapsed to the floor, wailing loudly. Amidst the chaos, several sheriff’s deputies rushed toward Jolly, grabbing and holding the convicted man as he stood a few feet away from the woman who had accused him of raping her. A jury had just convicted Jolly of multiple counts of sexual offenses, including rape. The woman who said that Jolly had abused and raped her from the second grade through high school, sat on the floor of the courtroom, in tears, surrounded by family. Jolly was sentenced to 4 consecutive life sentences, 6 years following the life sentences and another 20 to 24 years after that.