Hall County Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison

According to reports out of Hall County, a man who is reportedly a registered sex offender in the state of Illinois has been convicted of molesting a 14 year old here in Georgia.

The man was sentenced to 35 years in prison without the possibility of parole. These thirty five years are followed by probation for life. He was found guilty of four counts of aggravated child molestation.

As a Georgia Sex Crimes Lawyer, I will outline the legal definitions behind both child molestation as well as aggravated child molestation in the state of Georgia.

Child Molestation and Aggravated Child Molestation in Georgia

To understand the law behind aggravated child molestation, first we need to look at the law behind child molestation. 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

Even though the man in the story above was convicted and sentenced for his sex offenses, sex offenses in Georgia are to be viewed in the same light as any other crime. An accused person still has the presumption of innocence.

If you or a loved one has been accused of committing a sex crime in Georgia, call us now.