A 70-year-old man will serve five years in prison after sexually assaulting multiple women and girls at a Lawrenceville swimming pool.
What’s Happening: William Michael Hegwood was convicted of felony sexual battery against a child under 16 and two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery for attacks at a public pool in Gwinnett County.
What’s Important: Multiple victims, including girls as young as 12, reported being touched inappropriately in the lazy river and other areas of the pool. One 12-year-old girl told her mother that Hegwood grabbed her upper thigh while she swam with her sister. A 14-year-old girl reported that he reached into her bathing suit. Adult women also reported he touched them without permission.
How It Unfolded: The mother of the 12-year-old victim saw Hegwood touch another girl and reported him to a lifeguard. As she made her complaint, more women and teens came forward with similar experiences. When police arrived, a third woman said Hegwood had touched her thigh twice.
Between the Lines: The quick response from the first mother who reported what she witnessed led to multiple victims feeling safe enough to come forward immediately, resulting in Hegwood’s arrest at the scene.
The Sentence: Hegwood will serve five years in prison followed by two years of probation. Gwinnett County District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson called his actions “depraved behavior” and said predators who threaten public safety will face justice.
The Sources: Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
