A Peachtree

City man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for trying to lure two young

boys into his home almost two years ago by giving them a ride on his golf

cart.

Andrew Joseph

Magnusson, 22, was also sentenced to an additional 25 years probation

following the end of the sentence. He pled guilty earlier this year to

two counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes, one count of criminal

attempt to commit kidnapping and one count of possession of electronic

child pornography.

When Magnuson

was arrested by Peachtree City Police in Oct. 2000, he was found near

Oak Grove Elementary School with duct tape, a rope, bungee cords, a knife

and other items in his possession that could have been used to kidnap

someone, according to court records. He admitted to police that he intended

to abduct a child just before he was arrested, police said.

The day before,

he had given a golf cart ride to two 10-year-old boys and tried to lure

them into his home, police said. He drove them around Lake Peachtree and

eventually dropped them off near one of the boys' homes, police said.

A mental health

professional who helped counsel Magnuson before and after the incident

said he behaved at the level of a nine- or 10-year-old child and would

not fare well in prison because he doesn't know how to get along with

others. Magnuson also had an IQ that was near the threshold to indicate

he was mentally retarded, the caseworker testified.

Magnuson's

parents and brother also testified during the hearing, pledging to make

sure he gets mental health treatment if he would be allowed to return

home.

Magnuson's

attorney, Tarey Schell, pointed out that no physical contact took place

during the incident.

But Superior

Court Judge Christopher C. Edwards said the evidence showed Magnuson could

not be controlled by his parents. He cited an e-mail written by Magnuson

where he depicts abducting a 10-year-old boy, binding him and raping him.

"It's

resemblance to this case ... is absolutely too vivid to ignore,"

Edwards said.

Magnuson's

caseworker said the ideal situation would be for him to be treated at

a residential facility that specializes care for sex offenders,

but no such facility exists in Georgia.

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