BALL GROUND — A Cherokee County jury found 58-year-old Charles Lowry Douglas of Ball Ground guilty of 16 sex crimes against four children. A judge sentenced him to 80 years in September, with the first 60 to be served in prison.
What happened: The children, who were as young as six and seven years old when the abuse occurred, knew Douglas personally. The abuse took place in Holly Springs and Ball Ground. Douglas touched the children’s breasts, buttocks, and inner thighs. All four were related to him or otherwise known to him.
The case: Cherokee County sheriff’s investigators opened the case in 2022 after the children disclosed the abuse. The jury convicted Douglas on August 24 of nine counts of child molestation and seven counts of sexual battery. Superior Court Judge Jennifer L. Davis sentenced him September 9.
At sentencing: Three of the victims and their parents gave statements to the court describing shame, fear, and lasting trauma. Two of the victims spoke directly about what was taken from them.
“This man has taken my dignity, my childhood, my safety, my purity, my innocence, and much more away from me until now. Now I know that he has zero control, zero power, and I can be free,” one victim said.
A second victim said: “I cannot get back the childhood that was taken from me, and I cannot erase the years I spent living with the consequences of what he did. But I can stand here today and speak for the little girl who was too scared to speak for herself. She deserved to be protected, she deserved to be believed, and she deserved to grow up feeling safe.”
After the verdict: Assistant District Attorney Leyna Pope, who prosecuted the case, said Douglas called from jail within an hour of being convicted and pressured the victims to take back their testimony.
“Throughout the prosecution of this case, the defendant showed no remorse. He put these children through the ordeal of testifying and, within an hour of being convicted, made calls from the jail saying they need to recant for his sake. This defendant is exactly the man these children described him as — manipulative, controlling, and a danger to society,” Pope said.
The sentence: Douglas must serve 60 years in prison before he is eligible for any remaining portion of his 80-year sentence. He is barred from contacting the victims and must comply with all sex offender conditions.
District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said: “These children, now young adults, demonstrated remarkable courage in coming forward and facing their abuser in a courtroom full of strangers. Their statements at sentencing reflect the long path they have traveled from victims to survivors. Their courage secured justice and safeguarded other children from harm.”
If you need to report abuse: Call Child Protective Services at (855) 422-4453. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
