Crawford County man sentenced to 20 years for child molestation after jury conviction
Christopher Swinford, 46, was convicted of molesting a 9-year-old girl, 13 years to the day after pleading guilty in a separate case involving another child.
ROBERTA, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Crawford County man has been sentenced to 20 years after a jury found him guilty of child molestation, exactly 13 years after he pleaded guilty in a separate sexual misconduct case involving another 9-year-old girl.
Christopher Swinford, 46, was convicted Saturday, October 31, following a six-day trial. He was sentenced to 20 years, with the first 19 years to be served in the Georgia Department of Corrections.
The Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office says the conviction stems from an incident on April 7, 2022, when Swinford molested a 9-year-old girl in the basement of his home.
Child reported abuse to her mother
According to the district attorney’s office, the girl and three of her younger sisters were staying at Swinford’s home while their mother was at work.
The children’s mother was dating Swinford’s son at the time.
After the incident, the girl told her mother what had happened. Her mother quickly reported the abuse to police.
During the investigation, Swinford provided law enforcement with video footage from inside his home. However, the footage was missing the period when the molestation occurred.
Previous case involved another 9-year-old girl
The October 31 conviction came exactly 13 years after Swinford pleaded guilty to similar conduct involving a different 9-year-old girl.
In 2013, Swinford entered that guilty plea as a first offender and was sentenced to probation.
According to the district attorney’s office, the mother of the girl involved in the 2022 case did not know about Swinford’s previous case when her daughters were staying at his home.
Both victims testified before the jury during the six-day trial.
District attorney praises victim’s courage
Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard praised the girl for reporting what happened and thanked investigators and prosecutors for their work.
“This young girl found the courage to tell the truth, and a Crawford County jury listened,” Howard said. “I am proud of my team and their advocacy for this girl and all children who are violated in incomprehensible ways like this.”
Howard also thanked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for its work on the case.
“Mr. Swinford will now spend nearly two decades in prison, where he cannot harm another child,” Howard said.
According to a news release, Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Taylor Wilson and Assistant District Attorney Hannah Frantz prosecuted the case. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.
