Facebook Live Leads to the Arrest of Man Responsible for Sexual Assault in Atlanta Nightclub

A disturbing video has been cycling around Facebook after a sexual assault at Opera nightclub was live-streamed earlier this month.

According to the Atlanta Police Department, Dominique Williams turned himself in earlier this week after the Special Victims Unit was granted an arrest warrant against him. The victim was a woman who was visiting Atlanta for her birthday and was streaming the birthday celebration when she captured Williams on film assaulting her.

Williams is facing charges of aggravated sodomy in the state of Georgia. As a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer, I will outline the offense in today's post.

Aggravated Sodomy in Georgia

In order to properly and legally outline the offense of aggravated sodomy in the state of Georgia, I must first outline the base offense of sodomy by law.

Sodomy in Georgia is defined by the Georgia Code in O.C.G.A. §16-6-2:

A person commits the offense of sodomy when he or she performs or submits to any sexual act involving the sex organs of one person and the mouth or anus of another.

Aggravated Sodomy in Georgia is defined by the Georgia Code further down in the same statute as:

A person commits the offense of aggravated sodomy when he or she commits sodomy with force and against the will of the other person or when he or she commits sodomy with a person who is less than ten years of age. The fact that the person allegedly sodomized is the spouse of a defendant shall not be a defense to a charge of aggravated sodomy.

Aggravated sodomy is classified as a felony offense in Georgia. If a person is convicted of aggravated sodomy then he or she shall be punished by a life term in prison or by a split sentence that is no less than 25 years and no exceeding life in prison, followed by probation for life. 

Practice Note

Sex crimes in Georgia are highly stigmatized and even just an arrest or an accusation can carry a lot of weight and power. However, it does not necessarily mean that if an individual is arrested for committing an act that they are guilty of committing that particular act.

If you or a loved one has been arrested in Georgia, contact a Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney today.