UPDATE: Wrightsville man pleads guilty to child sex abuse charge

According to a Friday, February 28 news release, 23-year-old Samuel McCoy was taken into custody on Friday, one day after an investigation was started into an alleged relationship between McCoy and a 14-year-old.

ORIGINAL STORY (7/17/25): A Wrightsville man has pleaded guilty to sexual battery involving a minor.

23-year-old Samuel McCoy entered the plea on Thursday in Superior Court, according to the sheriff’s office.

The case stems from his arrest in February after investigators say he had illegal contact with a 14-year-old victim.

A judge sentenced McCoy to five years of supervised probation and ordered him to register as a sex offender under Georgia law.

ORIGINAL STORY (3/3/25):

WRIGHTSVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Wrightsville man faces multiple child molestation charges, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a Friday, February 28 news release, 23-year-old Samuel McCoy was taken into custody on Friday, one day after an investigation was started into an alleged relationship between McCoy and a 14-year-old.

Deputies say McCoy and the child met three times between February 21 and February 26, and an “intimate relationship evolved.”

“Utilizing the evidence and the facts that they had encountered and gathered, the suspect admitted to the offense during a post Miranda Interview,” the release stated.

“These reported crimes are atrocious, and our Criminal Investigations Division has specially trained investigators who focus on such crimes,” Sheriff Greg Rowland said. “I have full confidence in these investigators to seek justice for these victims.”

McCoy is charged with one count of aggravated child molestation and two counts of child molestation.

The investigation is ongoing. Call Investigator Troy Fallin at (478) 864-4003 if you have information.