A former Athens massage therapist recently was sentenced to six months in prison after he pleaded guilty in Clarke County Superior Court to two counts of sexual battery, according to the Athens Banner-Herald.
Last Friday, Cody Jonathan Barrett, 29, received a first-offender sentence of 12 months with the first six months in prison followed by 12 months of probation from Superior Court Judge Eric Norris, according to the Banner-Herald.
Barrett, who lived in Athens at the time of his arrest but is from Homer, initially was charged with felony aggravated sexual battery for the inappropriate touching of female clients in August and October 2020, the Banner-Herald reported.
Barrett’s attorney, Kim Stephens, asked the judge to allow his client until Jan. 3 to report to prison. Norris gave Barrett until this Saturday to surrender to authorities, according to the Banner-Herald.
“One of the most important factors in the resolution of victim-centered cases is the victim’s position regarding a plea versus the potential trauma of testifying at trial,” Western Circuit District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez said in a statement after the sentencing. “The plea in this case was arrived at with full input and consent of the victims and approved by the court.”
The women who reported the assaults attended the sentencing, according to the Athens newspaper.
A 50-year-old Athens woman described Barrett as a “sexual predator” who violated her, according to the Banner-Herald.
The woman described her continued nervousness in public.
“I am fearful I will see Cody,” she told the judge, according to the Banner-Herald.
The judge ordered Barrett to have no contact with the victims after his release from prison, the newspaper reported.
The other victim, 34, submitted a written statement detailing how the incident has affected her and her family. She said she had never experienced this type of trauma, according to the Banner-Herald.
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