Cherokee County man sentenced to life in prison for sex abuse crimes against child

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A Cherokee County man will serve the rest of his life in prison after being sentenced on Tuesday for multiple sexual abuse crimes against a child, officials say.

Bryan Lamar Gay, 52, of Holly Springs was convicted on May 16 of two counts of aggravated sexual battery, two counts of aggravated child molestation, and three counts of child molestation.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police say they first became aware of the abuse in January 2023 when a middle school child informed them of the sexual abuse. The child first told her mother, who contacted Holly Springs Police.

The child and her younger sibling participated in forensic interviews, along with other family members.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Crews anticipate hours more work before water main break in downtown Atlanta
• Zoo Atlanta reopens Saturday, though some concessions restricted
• People need to prepare to not have water for unspecified amount of time, Watershed says

“This defendant subjected a family to decades of grooming and sexual abuse of young children. One of these children, who is now an adult, said she would have taken this secret to the grave, had the victim in this case not come forward,” said Assistant District Attorney Alana J. Driscoll, of the Special Victims Unit, who prosecuted this case on behalf of the State. “This man systematically manipulated people he purported to love, building trust, only to harm innocent children.”

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Water main breaks continue to gush out of Atlanta streets impacting residents and businesses The City of Atlanta suffered at least four water main breaks throughout the day on Friday, including two categorized as “major.”

©2024 Cox Media Group