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5 teens face alleged abuser in court to push for child molestation conviction

Prosecutors claim the evidence involved sexual touching as well as showing the underage victim explicit videos.
Credit: WXIA
Robert Glenn Ward

WHITFIELD COUNTY, Ga. — It only took a Whitfield County jury 25 minutes to find a 61-year-old man guilty of sexual battery of a minor and child molestation.

According to the Consauga Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, Robert Glenn Ward faces up to 25 years in prison. 

Although the charges before the jury involved a single victim, a total of five victims from ages 13 to 17 testified regarding sexual acts inflicted on them by the defendant. 

Prosecutors claim the evidence involved sexual touching as well as showing the underage victim explicit videos.  

The district attorney's office said one of those videos, recovered from Ward’s cell phone, was played for the jury. They said Ward deleted a second video before law enforcement could secure the evidence.

Officials also added that Ward faced a jury in Murray County in 2014 for similar conduct but was acquitted in February of the same year. The two victims in that case testified this week concerning that prior abuse as did two other prior victims which had not yet disclosed abuse as of 2014.

"We applaud the courage of these young women to step forward and face their abuser and testify against him so that he could be held accountable for his action," District Attorney Bert Poston said. "We would also like to thank Detective Rivera and the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative work and the GreenHouse, child advocacy center, for its assistance in conducting forensic interviews with the children." 

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