Carla Wilson
Elmore Autauga News
An Elmore County judge on Thursday sentenced Dokata Hollinger of Millbrook to 50 years in prison after not accepting a plea agreement that would have reduced his sentence.
Circuit Judge Booth issued the sentence after Hollinger entered a guilty plea in a case stemming from 2025 involving a child under the age of 12. Prosecutors said the plea agreement called for a 30-year sentence, but the judge declined to accept the agreement and instead ordered Hollinger to serve 50 years.
Hollinger was 18 when he was arrested in March 2025. He was originally charged with three counts of Rape in the First Degree and Sodomy in the First Degree, all involving a victim younger than 12.
The case first drew public attention shortly after his arrest during an Aniah’s Law hearing, when District Judge Ben Baxley ruled Hollinger would remain in the Elmore County Jail without bond while awaiting trial. At that hearing, Baxley said the evidence presented raised serious concerns about the safety of the community if Hollinger were released.
At that time, prosecutors with the 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office presented testimony from a Millbrook police detective who said Hollinger admitted during questioning that he had engaged in multiple sexual encounters with the victim dating back to August before his arrest.
During the original hearing, prosecutors also referenced several past allegations of sexual misconduct while Hollinger was a student at Stanhope Elmore High School. Although those incidents did not lead to criminal charges, school records showed he was removed from the high school campus and placed in an alternative school, and later in the iCare program for students with behavioral issues.
With Thursday’s sentencing, the case concludes more than a year after Hollinger’s arrest, bringing to a close the case that initially prompted a judge to hold him without bond over concerns for the safety of the community. Hollinger will serve his sentence in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections.
