DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — A man accused of raping a teenage girl and giving her a sexually transmitted disease was indicted and arrested following an 11Alive Reveal investigation.
The Douglas County District Attorney said the suspect is charged with rape and aggravated child molestation. His case was initially closed in the summer of 2020, but when The Reveal got involved in the summer of 2021, the case was reopened.
For more than a year, a Michigan mother was baffled that a man accused of raping her daughter and giving her herpes was never arrested.
“She will have a disease now for the rest of her life that will be a constant reminder of the most horrific moments of her life,” the mother said.
We are not identifying her or her daughter for their protection.
The alleged crime happened while the 14-year-old was on vacation visiting family and friends in Douglas County. The mother said she didn't learn about what happened until after her daughter returned home.
The Reveal obtained police reports and documents showing the teen said he raped her three times during her visit. We also uncovered he was a convicted sex offender.
“I’m telling you, I did not have sex with this child,” the suspect told investigators during questioning in police video obtained by The Reveal.
“You have HSV-2,” the detective said.
“Right. I have the same thing she has,” he responded, all while maintaining his innocence.
Despite that evidence, the suspect was not arrested at the time. Internal documents said it would never survive prosecution and the case was closed. But as our investigation continued, and we pressed the district attorney's office for answers, the case was reopened.
“I just started crying immediately because that one part of me that was like, finally, you know, finally they’re gonna do something,” the mother said.
The mother and her teen just hope for a chance at justice — hopes that may finally be answered.
Dalia Racine was not the district attorney at the time the suspect's case was closed. She told us she was not even aware of the case until we brought it to her attention.