A 62-year-old man is accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in Cobb County’s Shaw Park after allegedly giving her water that made her feel “dizzy and tingle.”
The alleged attack took place on the evening of Jan. 21, the girl told Cobb police investigators during a forensic interview. She had been walking in the woods when the suspect, later identified as Douglas Darch, approached her and offered a bottle of water, according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The bottle appeared to be sealed, so the girl took it and drank from it and then began to feel a dizzying and tingling sensation, she said.
The suspect then took out a knife and threatened her with “great bodily harm” if she didn’t do what she was told, according to his warrant. He forced her to perform sexual acts on him before demanding she take off her clothes and fondled her, the warrant states.
The victim was fearful she would be hurt again in the future if she didn’t comply, investigators noted.
Darch was arrested the following day. He faces multiple charges, including child molestation, aggravated child molestation, aggravated assault with intent to rape, first-degree cruelty to children and terroristic threats.
He was booked into the Cobb County jail, where he remains without bond.
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