Articles Posted in Sex Crimes

A mayor and police chief may have his job on the line after a series of criminal accusations. The Georgia mayor has been accused of soliciting young men for sex. He was charged with sex crimes including solicitation of sodomy and theft.

Authorities were conducting an investigation which lasted for a month and a half. The man is a mayor in Concord and a police chief in a nearby city. According to reports, he abused his position of authority to gain the trust of his alleged victims.  The investigation started when authorities were contacted by one of the alleged victims’ grandparents. Throughout the investigation, it was reportedly revealed that the man was using a government issued phone to send inappropriate photos to juveniles.

He also purportedly gave one of the victims a personal code to put gas in his vehicle. Authorities were able to obtain a search warrant, but it’s not known what was discovered when it was executed. The man was charged with one count of theft by conversion and two counts of solicitation of sodomy.

A 24-year-old teacher was recently arrested. She was charged with sex crimes after she was accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old male student. Georgia authorities charged the woman with child molestation and other sex related charges.

Authorities started an investigation into alleged sex crimes, and then it reportedly revealed that sexual contact started a little less than a month ago. Following a forensic interview, a disclosure was purportedly made that there was inappropriate contact that occurred on more than one occasion. It was determined that there was enough probable cause for an arrest warrant to be issued. The teacher was arrested at the school and booked on her charges.

She was charged with aggravated sodomy and enticing a child. She was also charged with aggravated child molestation. The defendant just started her first year working as a math teacher at Newton High School.  

Sex Crimes – A grand jury recently indicted a 22-year-old man. The man was accused of child molestation of a 15-year-old girl. Nevertheless, all Georgia defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proved guilty of the crimes of which they have been accused.

The man was charged with a number of sex crimes, including rape. According to reports, the man allegedly molested a teenage girl back in December of last year. The sexual contact between him and the teen reportedly happened when he was 21 years of age.

Please see our blog for other entries on this topic. 

A suspect was arrested after working at a new job as a band director for just two weeks. Georgia authorities charged the man with multiple sex crimes after he was accused of engaging in sexual behavior with high school students in another state. It is important for readers to remember that just because someone is charged with a crime, does not necessarily mean they are guilty.

Authorities received complaints from former students at a previous high school about alleged sexual encounters with the suspect. The allegations included sexual activity on school property and at the suspect’s home. The sexual activity was reported to have happened during a three-year period and involved at least eight girls. Multiple girls claimed that they were gagged and tied up by the band director. According to reports, authorities placed him under arrest at Thomas County Central High School where he recently began working.

Please see our sex crimes blog

An operation was launched in an effort to track down and arrest those who participate in child sex trafficking. So far, 71 individuals were arrested and charged with a number of sex crimes throughout Georgia. The FBI’s goal is to rescue children who are being exploited and arrest those who are encouraging child prostitution. Although arrests have been made, the defendants have not been convicted of any criminal conduct.

On the national level, authorities rescued 168 victims who were minors and also apprehended 281 alleged pimps. In our own state, 11 minors were reportedly forced into prostitution and exploited through the computer. This particular investigation led to the arrest of 71 people in Georgia who face a variety of charges. Their charges include criminal attempt of child molestation and enticement of a minor.

Other charges include solicitation and prostitution, along with pimping. So far, over 3,000 children have been rescued by authorities. The Innocence Lost National Initiative started back in 2003 and performs these operations across the country. Agencies who are affiliated with the operation are the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Many teenagers today spend a lot of time on their mobile devices. After all, these devices are often used as the primary mode of communication among young people. At the same time, teens are subject to peer pressure and may not always use clear judgment when using their cell phones. Sex crimes charges can happen much more quickly than one could possibly imagine.

Recently, Georgia law enforcement officials noted a trend: Many young people are sending sexually explicit images to each other with their mobile devices. What they might not know, however, is that “sexting” could yield charges for sex crimes.

According to Georgia state laws, it is illegal for anyone to create or distribute explicit images of a minor. This means that a minor teen who sends an explicit picture to another teenager is technically in violation of child pornography laws.

Sex Crimes cases are always sensitive, because simply being accused of such an offense can tarnish a person’s reputation for a lifetime. However, an ongoing federal trial has escalated this to a new level: A 10-year-old boy is being charged for sex crimes in federal court for incidents that allegedly occurred on a U.S. military base. The way the case is being handled has some criminal law observers concerned.

According to reports, the boy has been accused of making inappropriate contact with boys who were younger than him. Since these acts are said to have occurred on a military base — federal property — prosecutors are pursuing federal sex crimes charges against the child.

In response to federal law enforcement’s action, some are suggesting that criminal court isn’t the proper venue to handle this boy’s case, if the accusations are true. According to a report from the American Civil Liberties Union, children who commit sexual assault are often victims of sexual abuse as well. As such, it may be more appropriate to take rehabilitative action, rather than pursue punishments that will affect this boy for his entire life. It’s reasonable to wonder whether or not the boy even understands what he is accused of doing and the potential legal implications.

It’s common knowledge that law enforcement officials take sex crimes very seriously. Beyond the potential for prison time, those who are convicted for sex crimes are sometimes required to register as sex offenders. Many people may assume that certain charges, such as possession of child pornography or rape, would lead to this requirement, but some states require registration for charges that are seemingly less serious in nature.

In some states, teenagers who have consensual sex with another teenager may be required to register as a sex offender. In fact, one teen was required to add her name to the state’s sex crimes registry because she had consensual sexual relations with a high school classmate who was 15. At the time, she was only 17 years old.

Interestingly enough, Georgia isn’t the only state that requires sex offender registration for this kind of incident. Human Rights Watch reports that 29 states are known to have a similar requirement.

A wide variety of factors can influence the outcome of a sex crimes case. However, a verdict may come down to which party presented the most convincing evidence and testimony. Throughout the course of a criminal trial, witnesses who can offer specific insight are often called to testify in order to sway a jury. These individuals are expected to rely on their experience and sound professional judgment to present an accurate interpretation of evidence.

In many cases involving sex crimes, forensic psychologists may testify about the issues involved in a case. Their testimony can play a big role in whether or not an individual is fit to stand trial or what kind of sentence should be handed down if a conviction is reached.

According to a study conducted by researchers at a major university, forensic psychologists may not always be unbiased. In fact, they may present an opinion in court based on who they believe hired them. For instance, if prosecutors bring a psychologist into court, that person may feel inclined to present an especially unflattering portrait of the defendant regardless of whether or not it’s an accurate assessment.

Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit/inappropriate messages and/or photographs primarily between mobile devices.  The new changes are now codified in Georgia’s laws on sex crimes. The Georgia legislature has officially changed its law on this. The legislature just passed House Bill 156 which changes the law for teens who engage in “sexting”. Before, if a teen was sexting, the teen could have been charged with child pornography under O.C.G.A. 16-12-100. Therefore, if teens sexted before this change in the law, they were prosecuted at the felony level just like any other child pornography law. Under the new law, sexting between teenagers will be classified as a misdemeanor.

Specifically, it is a misdemeanor ONLY if

(1) the individual depicted was over 14 years old at the time the image was created,