APD: Multiple victims molested at West End summer camp

ajc.com

Atlanta police say they have arrested a man suspected of molesting “several” children under the age of 12 at a West End summer camp.

The alleged abuse took place from 2016 to 2018, said Lt. Felicia Claxton, commander of the Atlanta Police Department’s Special Victims Unit. The investigation was opened in February, when an Atlanta woman brought her granddaughter to APD headquarters to say she was victimized in 2018 while attending the camp at the West End Family Life and Community Center.

The girl, not yet 10 years old, said she was molested by a man in his 50s, according to a police report. She had waited so long because “she didn’t feel comfortable saying anything,” the report stated.

Investigators have not released the suspect’s name, citing the ongoing investigation, but said he was a member of the West End Seventh Day Adventist Church, which runs the camp.

“This case is heartbreaking,” Claxton said.

She would not say how many victims have been identified but added that investigators believe other children were violated.

“We’re talking about a series of several years,” Claxton said.