Man sentenced to 20 years for child molestation, sexual battery

 A jury found 49-year-old Joseph Bohannon guilty of two counts of child molestation and one count of sexual battery against a child under 16.

ROBERTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — A man was found guilty of child molestation in Crawford County on Wednesday, according to the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

A jury found 49-year-old Joseph Bohannon guilty of two counts of child molestation and one count of sexual battery against a child under 16.

According to a news release, between April 2015 and April 2017, Bohannon and his wife provided childcare for the 12-year-old daughter of Bohannon’s friend, a single father who worked as a truck driver.

Prosecutors said the girl rode the school bus to and from the Bohannon home each day while her father was away for work. During that time, Bohannon systematically groomed the child through conversations that led to repeated acts of sexual abuse.

The victim stopped going to the Bohannon home after turning 13. Authorities said Bohannon continued to contact her through social media after the abuse ended.

Messages admitted at trial showed Bohannon pressuring the victim to allow him to photograph her alone in her cheerleading uniform and a swimsuit, prosecutors said. When she insisted her father be present, Bohannon became frustrated and continued to pressure her.

A forensic analysis of Bohannon’s phone revealed child-oriented pornographic material and a video of the victim, according to the district attorney’s office. Both the victim and her father testified during the trial.

Bohannon was sentenced to 20 years, with the first seven years to be served in the Georgia Department of Corrections.

District Attorney Anita Howard released the following statement:

“This child waited years for justice. The jury delivered. The sentence fell short. Children deserve better, and this Office will never stop fighting for them.”