Macon man pleads guilty to sex with underage girl

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Macon man is sentenced to prison time after pleading guilty to having sex with an underage girl.

Instead of going forward with Tuesday’s trial, 40-year-old Jermaine Howard pleaded guilty to statutory rape, five counts of child molestation and one count of terroristic threats.

“Mr. Howard sought to exploit his relationship with this young girl for his own twisted sexual desires,” said District Attorney David Cooke.

As part of a plea agreement, a judge sentenced Howard to serve 30 years with the first 15 years in prison.

According to prosecutor Shelley Milton, evidence shows Howard started an inappropriate conversations with the girl when she was 12. The two then began a sexual relationship after the girl’s 13th birthday in 2016. Evidence shows the relationship continued until June 2018.

A investigation started when a family member found graphic text messages on the girl’s phone, and she shared details about the relationship.

Evidence also showed Howard threatened to kill the girl and harm her family if she told anyone about their relationship.