Four years ago a Forsyth County father of two named Kenneth Dustin Grant sawed through his ankle bracelet, threw it into Lake Lanier and escaped into thin air, two days before he was about to go on trial for child molestation.
This month, officials with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshall’s Service tracked him down to Guadalajara, Mexico, where he was arrested and extradited to the Los Angeles County jail. From there he will be transported back to Georgia, to finally stand trial.
In 2008, Grant had asked the 15-year-old daughter of a friend to babysit his two young boys on the evening before Thanksgiving. He then allegedly drugged and assaulted the young girl as his boys slept in the house, while taking photographs of the crime. Law enforcement officials found 140 photographs of similar crimes on his computer, including images of Grant attacking the babysitter’s older sister.
He had posted a $75,000 bond before skipping town. Giving him a head start was the fact that the county official responsible for monitoring alarms from his ankle bracelet company had gone on vacation that weekend, apparently without naming a stand-in.
The county shared its story with the television show “America’s Most Wanted,” and information generated by viewers of the show helped lead to Grant’s re-arrest, according to Robin B. Regan, public information officer for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are definitely very grateful for the assistance we got from the people at ‘America’s Most Wanted’” he said. “The airing of the show definitely assisted in speeding up this investigation.”
The actual arrest was executed by Mexican immigration officials, Regan said. Grant gave minor resistance. “We are completing paperwork to get him brought to Forsyth County,” said Regan. Grant is being charged with aggravated child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, child molestation and the sexual exploitation of children.”
Regan said “We have been actively pursuing this case for the last four years.” Regan added that the investigation into the case continues, and that others will be charged if sheriff’s office determines that Grant received help.
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