Two Henry County men will serve a combined 40 years in prison after they each pleaded guilty to sex crimes against children in separate cases, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Joshua Stewart, 33, took a plea deal Tuesday in Superior Court, DA’s office spokeswoman Megan Matteucci said. Christopher Booream, 49, entered a guilty plea to an 11-count indictment Thursday, she said.
Police started looking into Stewart in June 2018 after a victim came forward and said he had molested her, Matteucci said.
The victim told investigators that the sexual abuse began when she was about 4 years old in 2012 and lasted until 2016. Police charged Stewart with child molestation and took him into custody later in June 2018.
A Henry judge sentenced Stewart to 30 years, with the first 25 to be spent in prison, Matteucci said. He also faces charges in Bibb and Jasper counties.
The investigation into Booream started in April 2018 when the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force got a tip about him downloading child pornography.
Investigators said he downloaded child porn on a Tumblr account from inside his Stockbridge home.
Henry County police did surveillance of his home and subpoenaed records for his Tumblr account, Matteucci said. In June 2018, the agency executed a search warrant of the house.
Booream was arrested the same month and charged with 11 counts of sexual exploitation of children. He was sentenced to 20 years, with 15 to be served in prison.
Both men will have to register as sex offenders upon their release.
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