A Chatsworth, Ga., man has been convicted on charges of beating and sexually assaulting a pregnant woman.
Jeremy Ladale Jones, 40, was found guilty Wednesday afternoon by a Murray County jury of aggravated sodomy, family violence aggravated assault, family violence aggravated battery, terroristic threats, battery against a pregnant female and family violence battery.
The jury of seven men and five women was selected on Monday and began hearing evidence on Tuesday morning. After hearing from six witnesses, they deliberated on Wednesday afternoon for an hour and half before returning a unanimous verdict on all counts.
The trial was presided over by Superior Court Judge Cindy Morris and prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Dixon Lackey with assistance from Chatsworth Police Department Officer Cody Kintz, who investigated the case along with District Attorney Investigator Kevin Caylor and Victim Advocate Danielle Kean. Jones was represented by Cory Rosenberger and Geoff Bard of the Public Defender’s Office.
District Attorney Bert Poston said, "The case began when Officer Kintz responded to a domestic violence call at the Defendant and victim’s address. Jones was intoxicated and the victim, who had fled to a neighboring apartment to call 911 and who was 35 weeks pregnant with Jones’ child showed signs of having been beaten. It was ultimately determined that the victim had a broken hand which required surgery and had been sexual assaulted as well. At one point during the assault, Jones threatened to kill the victim and her unborn child if she called the police. Nevertheless, the victim was eventually able to get away from Jones and flee to another apartment where a call was made to Murray County 911. The 911 call was presented as evidence and played for the jury.
"Officer Kintz’ performed a thorough investigation and collected evidence including the victim’s bloody clothing and photographs of the scene where the assault had taken place. Jones was taken into custody and remained in jail without bond through the trial. He will remain in custody until his sentencing date as well. The victim received medical care at Hamilton Medical Center and gave birth to a healthy daughter about a month after the assault."
Judge Morris set sentencing for Aug.
16 when Jones faces from 25 years to life in prison on the aggravated sodomy county, up to 20 years each of the aggravated assault and aggravated battery charges, five years for terroristic threats and 12 months each on the remaining misdemeanor charges.
Jones has a prior felony drug conviction which will be presented in evidence at the sentencing hearing, it was stated.