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Cops: Coweta man found in 12-year-old girl’s closet, admits having sex with her

Mateo Kevonta Roy'al Lews, 20, of Newnan, was arrested Tuesday and charged with child molestation, statutory rape and possession of child pornography.

Credit: AJC File

Credit: AJC File

Mateo Kevonta Roy'al Lews, 20, of Newnan, was arrested Tuesday and charged with child molestation, statutory rape and possession of child pornography.
By
Sept 16, 2020

A 20-year-old Coweta County man was arrested Tuesday and charged with several sex crimes after he was caught hiding in the closet of a 12-year-old girl, according to officials.

Mateo Kevonta Roy’al Lewis, 20, of Newnan, faces charges of aggravated child molestation, statutory rape and possession of child pornography, Newnan police spokeswoman Ashley Copeland confirmed. Lewis was booked into the Coweta County Jail, where he remains without bond.

According to Newnan police Detective Joey Castro, Lewis was caught hiding in the girl’s closet by one of her family members Tuesday. He ran from the home, but the family member called police and officers were able to find Lewis and take him into custody.

When questioned, Lewis told police he knew the girl through her sibling and admitted to having sex with her multiple times, officials said. He was arrested after images and videos were taken from his phone that confirmed his statements to police, officials said.

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Henri Hollis is a reporter and restaurant critic for the Food & Dining team. Formerly a freelance writer and photographer with a focus on food and restaurants, he joined the AJC full-time in January 2021, first covering breaking news. He is a lifelong Atlantan and a graduate of Georgia Tech.

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