Former Kennesaw Principal Guilty of Child Molestation

Kennesaw Police

Kennesaw, Ga. – A former Cobb County principal has pleaded guilty this past week to eight counts of child molestation and three counts of aggravated child molestation.

The charges stem from the continuous abuse of a young girl that stem all the way back to 2000 when the minor was four years old. He pleaded guilty to abusing the girl until she was fourteen. The man fled the country in 2012 and evaded capture until 2019 when U.S. marshals detained him in Mexico. He has since pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 25 years to serve in prison without the possibility of parole.

As a Georgia Sex Crimes Lawyer, I will outline the laws behind the offenses of child molestation and aggravated child molestation in today's post.

Child Molestation and Aggravated Child Molestation in Georgia

Child molestation in Georgia is defined in O.C.G.A. § 16-6-4 (a) as:

A person commits the offense of child molestation when such person:

(1) Does any immoral or indecent act to or in the presence of or with any child under the age of 16 years with the intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of either the child or the person; or

(2) By means of an electronic device, transmits images of a person engaging in, inducing, or otherwise participating in any immoral or indecent act to a child under the age of 16 years with the intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of either the child or the person.

Aggravated Child Molestation in Georgia is defined in the same statute in part (c) as:

A person commits the offense of aggravated child molestation when such person commits an offense of child molestation which act physically injures the child or involves an act of sodomy.

A person convicted of the offense of aggravated child molestation shall be punished by imprisonment for life or by a split sentence that is a term of imprisonment for not less than 25 years and not exceeding life imprisonment.

Practice Note

If you or a loved one has been arrested for a sex offense in the state of Georgia, call our lawyers today.