A man will spend more than a decade in prison after he was convicted of molesting a girl younger than 16, officials said.
Kevin Conley Crawford, 59, of Ball Ground, was sentenced to 20 years with 12 to serve in prison after pleading guilty to five counts of child molestation, the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
The charges stem from incidents that started in the summer of 2018, officials said. The girl, whose age was not provided, told family members that Crawford was abusing her, and her family contacted law enforcement.
Prosecutors said Crawford was a friend of the girl’s family. He often spent time alone with the child, officials said.
“Mr. Crawford stole the innocence of a child,” Assistant District Attorney Randall Ivey said. “His criminal record stretches back to the 1970s. The risk he will re-offend is substantial. We need to protect the community and we need to ensure justice for this little girl.”
According to Georgia Department of Corrections records, Crawford was previously convicted of burglary and methamphetamine possession in Cobb County and possession of meth and marijuana in Cherokee County.
The Cherokee sheriff’s office opened an investigation into the allegations in July 2018, but Crawford fled to Florida. He was later arrested and returned to Cherokee County to answer the charges.
Crawford entered a non-negotiated guilty plea. Upon his release from prison, he will be on probation with “sex offender special conditions,” which include having no contact of any kind with minors, the district attorney’s office said.
Crawford is also prohibited from contacting the victim or any member of her family.
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