Former UGA officer faces child molestation charges

A former University of Georgia police officer has been arrested on charges he molested a 15-year-old girl more than four years ago. Georgia Bureau of Investigation officials say 26-year-old Brian Anderson of Oglethorpe County has been charged with child molestation, aggravated child molestation, and violating his oath of office.

Judge denies Genarlow Wilson request for bond

Defense attorneys in the Genarlow Wilson case were dealt a serious setback today, when a Douglas County judge denied Wilson’s request for bond.

In 2006, Wilson was convicted of aggravated child molestation for engaging in consensual oral sex with a minor girl.

The ruling by Judge David Emerson means Genarlow Wilson will likely remain behind bars until his October hearing before the State Supreme Court.

Defense attorney BJ Bernstein had hoped to argue the merits of her client's case at a July 5th bond hearing. But, the judge's order cancels that hearing, saying Wilson's conviction for aggravated child molestation, makes him ineligible for bond. Bernstein countered by saying the judge applied the wrong law.

"What the judge is using is part of the law that says no appeal bond. We're not on the appeal anymore and now we're starting with an order that says release. If a judge has said release someone, he's entitled to bond while the sides fight it out, but you don't get extra punishment time."

In May, a Monroe County judge overturned Genarlow Wilson's conviction for aggravated child molestation and ordered his immediate release. However, the state attorney general appealed that order saying the Monroe judge had overstepped his authority.

Defense attorneys say they'll immediately appeal the ruling denying bond.

Georgia fugitive caught in Florida

A fugitive wanted in Georgia on child molestation charges is now in custody in Florida. Christopher Edward Brown fired at deputies in Florida when they tried to arrest him at a campsite in Lake Wales. That now adds attempted murder charges to the existing child molestation charges in Pickens County. Brown told sheriff’s officials that he was sorry, and was afraid of going to jail back in Georgia.

Genarlow Wilson freed; remains locked up pending appeal

A Georgia judge today freed Genarlow Wilson. But, the 20-year old remains in jail, awaiting appeal by Georgia's attorney general.

Wilson was seventeen in 2004, when he was convicted of aggravated child molestation after having consensual oral sex with a girl two years younger.

The Superior Court judge who ordered his release said keeping Genarlow Wilson locked up for a crime now considered a misdemeanor in the state of Georgia, amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. But, Georgia's Attorney General immediately appealed the ruling, saying the court overstepped its boundaries.

The appeal means Genarlow Wilson's case now goes before the state’s highest court. Wilson has served two years of a ten year mandatory sentence. Wilson decided to fight charges of aggravated child molestation because it came with lifetime registry as a convicted sex offender.

In the meantime, defense attorneys say they'll ask the court to release Wilson on bond pending the appeal.

Molestation case inspires 'offensive materials' legislation

Senator Emanuel Jones (D-Decauter)
Photo Courtesy: GA Senate Press Office

Sparked by the controversial Genarlow Wilson trial, a Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that would make it a crime to distribute offensive material introduced as evidence in a court proceeding.

When a Douglas County jury convicted then 17-year old Genarlow Wilson of child molestation in 2005, a video tape of that act was shown as evidence in court.

Afterwards, the prosecuting district attorney gave copies of the tape to lawmakers at the same time they were considering a bill that would have reduced Wilson's sentence.

The US Attorney for Georgia described the tape as child pornography, the possession and distribution of which is a federal offense.

Senator Emanuel Jones (R-Decauter), from Atlanta authored the measure, which he says would protect minors from having video evidence distributed outside of a trial or court proceeding.

"In today's video age, with YouTube and MySpace, and all these other sites around that cater to our kids, that their privacy, in the event that something happens, their identity is going to be protected from the media."

The measure now goes to the Senate Rules Committee for review, while similar legislation is being considered by the House of Representatives.

If passed, violation of the proposed law could result in a prison term of up to twenty years.

Troup Cty teacher charged with molestation

A middle school teacher in Troup County is facing sex related offenses following her arrest for child molestation. Troup County Sheriff's officials said criminal charges were filed against 45-year-old Elizabeth Gaddy. Gaddy, a 7th grade teacher at Callaway Middle School, is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old male student. She was also charged with enticing a child for indecent purposes. Authorities alleged that Gaddy had sexual contact with the boy for several months. Gaddy had been on administrative while school officials investigated the allegations. She was placed in the Troup County Jail.

(Associated Press)

'To Catch a Predator' suspect on trial

A Tifton resident will begin his trial in Dalton today on charges stemming from his arrest in the 2006 "To Catch A Predator" child sex sting operation.

Marvin Harrison Smith, 36, is accused of traveling to a residence in Fortson in order to have sex with an underage girl. He is one of 19 men arrested in the week-long sting in July, 2006.

The girl Smith contacted was a decoy who was working with law-enforcement authorities and the Perverted Justice organization.

Smith is charged with attempted child molestation, attempted enticing a child for indecent purposes and obstructing or hindering law enforcement officers, according to the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

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Sailor arrested for molestation

Authorities have arrested a sailor based at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base south of Brunswick on child molestation charges. Parents of one of the alleged victims complained to the Navy about 36-year-old Steven David Sydor. Authorities believe Sydor gave children ages 10 to 15 alcohol and tried to get them to run around his St. Mary’s house nude. Investigators also removed a computer from his home.

Suspected Child Molester Caught

A man wanted on child molestation and sexual battery charges has surrendered at the Paulding County sheriffs office. The man, 30-year-old Jerry Fagen of Paulding County, surrendered on Sunday. Authorities accuse Fagen of abusing his 8-year-old stepdaughter. The 8-year-old and her 1-year-old brother were located on Saturday in Arizona with their mother. No charges have been filed against the mother, Casey Fagen. In Arizona, Maricopa County sheriff's spokesman Doug Matteson said Saturday that the girl was found in Youngtown, about 15 miles northwest of Phoenix, on Friday night with her head shaved, possibly to hide her identity.

(Associated Press)

DA in Wilson case under fire

A state senator is calling for an investigation of the district attorney who prosecuted a young man for having oral sex with another teen.

Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Decatur) wants the state attorney general to investigate Douglas County District Attorney David McDade. Jones says McDade crossed the line when he gave lawmakers and journalists copies of a video that clearly shows Genarlow Wilson having sex with two female teens at a New Year's Eve party in 2005.

"We have a district attorney who is making every attempt to influence every organization, and certainly the legislature, at every opportunity he gets. And to me, it is absolutely shameful," Jones says. "It is crucial that the public know whether laws were violated to keep this one kid locked up behind bars."

Jones calls the video "child pornography." Even though it is considered public evidence, Jones says the video should be kept confidential because it clearly shows the two young women in compromising positions.

Jones contends that McDade's actions helped kill a bill during the past legislative session that would have allowed a review of Wilson’s case under current law, which defines consensual sex between teens as a misdemeanor.

Jones also says McDade tried to intimidate a trial witness.

The state attorney general's office would not comment, except to say that they had received Jones' letter.

Wilson was acquitted of raping the first young woman. He is serving 10 years for having oral sex with the other one. When he was convicted in 2005, that crime was considered aggravated child molestation.

State Supreme Court hears appeals in Wilson case

Georgia's Supreme Court is taking up the case of Genarlow Wilson again this morning. Wilson is the man serving a 10-year sentence for aggravated child molestation for receiving oral sex from a 15-year-old girl when he was 17. The Court will consider the appeal filed by State Attorney General Thurbert Baker. He argued that a Monroe County judge's ruling in June to free Wilson would lead to the possible freedom of other convicted child molesters in Georgia prisons.

Genarlow Wilson is Free

After spending more that two and a half years in prison for a crime he committed when he was a teenager, 21-year-old Genarlow Wilson is a free man.

Wilson walked out of the Burrus Correctional facility in Forsyth late Friday afternoon and into the arms of his mother and 9-year-old sister.

"You should be more cautious about what you do, because a few minutes of fun can be a lifetime, and a very hard time getting out of it."

Wilson was just 17 when he was videotaped having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl in a hotel room during a New Year's Eve party in 2003.

He was convicted of felony child molestation and despite his age, was sentenced to ten years in prison without the possibility of parole.

Lawmakers later scrapped that law that required the lengthy mandatory sentence.

In its ruling Friday the Georgia Supreme Court said Wilson's ten year prison sentence amounted to cruel and unusual punishment and ordered his immediate release.

Senators refuse to give Genarlow Wilson a second chance

By a 19-32 vote, the Georgia Senate rejected an attempt to modify a House bill so that a judge could review the case of a young man in prison for consensual oral sex he had as a teenager.

"I think it was raunchy, it was wrong and it needs to be punished," said Sen. Dan Weber (R-Dunwoody). "But we need to say we made a mistake."

Weber urged support of the amendment, which would have allowed the judge who sentenced Genarlow Wilson in 2005 to review the case. Wilson was 17 when he received oral sex from a 15-year-old schoolmate during a raucous New Year's Eve party. At that time, Georgia law considered oral sex between minors as aggravated child molestation, which carries a mandatory 10 year sentence. In addition, the charge required Wilson to register as a sex offender. After Wilson entered prison, however, lawmakers changed the punishment to a year.

Senators who opposed the Wilson amendment say they were concerned about the 91 other cases that could be reviewed if the legislation became law. They also say Wilson could get a reduced sentence if he worked through the court system.

Genarlow Wilson freed; punishment 'cruel and unsual'

Two years after a Georgia court sentenced Genarlow Wilson to ten years in prison, the state Supreme Court has overturned his conviction. Wilson was 17 years old in 2003, when he engaged in consensual oral sex with another teen.

A Douglas County Court sentenced Wilson to 10 years in prison for aggravated child molestation.

A Monroe County judge later overturned the sentence. But that ruling was appealed by Attorney General Thurbert Baker. Baker said the judge overstepped his authority when he granted Wilson's motion.

In ordering his immediate release from prison, the Georgia Supreme Court called his ten year sentence, cruel and unusual punishment. BJ Wilson is Genarlow Wilson's defense attorney. Her argument before the Court in July, asked for a constitutional ruling on what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. "We've been waiting and praying every day. We've always looked to the court to fix this and the Georgia Supreme Court has and it's wonderful."

Wilson could have gotten out of jail months ago had he accepted a deal from prosecutors. But, the deal included lifetime registry as a convicted sex offender. Since his conviction, the Georgia legislature passed a so-called Romeo and Juliet law, making consensual sex between teenagers a misdemeanor instead of a felony.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears says changes in the law "represent a seismic shift in the legislature's view of the gravity of oral sex between two willing teenage participants." Sears says the severe punishment makes "no measurable contribution to acceptable goals of punishment" and that Wilson's crime did not rise to the "level of adults who prey on children."

At a press conference early Friday, Attorney General Thurbert Baker issued a statement saying he will not appeal Wilson's release.

Macon teacher faces peeping Tom charge

Police in Macon have charged a high school teacher with child molestation and being a peeping Tom. 27-year-old Carlos Dwight Arnold was arrested Saturday at a mall after being accused of photographing a boy in a bathroom. Arnold is a ninth-grade teacher at Central High School.

Plea deal for teenage sex act

The state has offered a plea deal to the man serving a 10-year prison sentence for a teenage sex offense. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that under the deal, if Genarlow Wilson pleads guilty to a felony … he would be able to get out of prison sooner and wouldn’t have to register as a sex offender. Wilson was convicted in 2006 of having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old when he was 17. At the time the crime was considered child molestation, and Wilson got 10 years in prison and was charged as a sex offender. But since then lawmakers have downgraded the offense to a misdemeanor.

Hearing set for Genarlow Wilson; lawyers argue GA's "Romeo and Juliet" law should apply

A hearing in Monroe County Superior Court on Wednesday, could decide whether or not Genarlow Wilson will have to serve eight more years in prison. In 2004, a Monroe County jury unanimously convicted Wilson of aggravated child molestation.

Genarlow Wilson was 17 years old at the time of his arrest. He was convicted after a videotape showed him engaging in consensual oral sex with a 15 year old girl during a New Year's Eve Party in 2003. Wilson has served two years of a mandatory 10 year sentence.

At the hearing, Wilson's lawyers will ask the state attorney general to release their client from prison. They say a law adopted since his conviction, makes Wilson's crime a misdemeanor and should be applied retroactively.

Earlier this year, State Senator Emannuel Jones introduction legislation to amend Georgia's so-called Romeo and Juliet law. The law makes consensual sex between minors, a misdemeanor.
Jones' proposal, however, has met with stiff opposition. He believes it's because the defendant is African-American. "When I ask myself why the scales of justice came down so hard on this kid, I have to believe there's an element of race."

If the petition is denied, Gernarlow Wilson will be 27 years old before he is released from prison. Current law requires that he register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Rally for Genarlow Wilson draws big names, crowd

Protesters rallied in front of the Douglas County Courthouse today calling for the release of Genarlow Wilson. Wilson is serving a 10 year sentence for having oral sex at age 17 with a girl 2 years younger.

A large crowd of citizens, politicians and religious leaders sang civil rights hymns and shouted for Wilson's released from prison. The long list of speakers included the Rev Al. Sharpton, who like many others, said Wilson's sentence is a miscarriage of justice.

Sharpton says it's ironic that Wilson is still behind bars while President Bush last week commuted former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby's 2 ½ year prison sentence. "If this young man's name was Scooter Wilson he wouldn't be in jail," Sharpton said.

Sharpton's National Action Now network collected signatures petitioning Douglas County Superior Court Judge David Emerson to allow a bond hearing for Wilson. Emerson last week said Wilson's aggravated child molestation conviction makes him ineligible for bond under Georgia law.

Wilson gets millionaires' backing

The man in prison for having consensual oral sex as a minor has some wealthy backers. Today 11 business leaders volunteered to post a million-dollar bond for Genarlow Wilson. The 21-year-old Wilson remains in prison pending a bond hearing July 5th. He was convicted in 2005 of child molestation for receiving oral sex from a 15 year-old when he was 17.

'To Catch a Predator' trial begins

The trial of an Albany man, arrested for attempted child molestation in the "To Catch A Predator,' television program, begins today in Jones County.

Jury selection in Gray, the County Seat, is the first step in the trial of 25-year-old Raymundo Anguiano. Police arrested him during the week-long operation in July of 2006.

Several Georgia residents are among the 20 men Harris County Sheriffs arrested at a decoy house in Fortson. They were caught on camera, allegedly expecting to meet with an underage woman whom they sought for sex, but who was, in fact, an online decoy.

The operation was filmed for NBC Television's Dateline program, and produced in cooperation with an online watchdog group, Perverted-Justice.

A Harris County judge ordered the venue changed to Jones County, citing pre-trail publicity about the case affecting jurors' judgment.

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