CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A 71-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years of confinement in prison after he was found guilty of child molestation in Cherokee County.
Walter Gary DeVault, of Woodstock, was convicted in February. A jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict after a three-day trial. He has been sentenced to 40 years with the first 15 years to be served in prison and the rest of his sentence will be spent on probation.
DeVault was accused of child molestation after a young girl reported inappropriate behavior from the man in 2016 and 2017. The girl, who was 9 and 10 years old at the time, told investigators DeVault was a person the family trusted. During the trial, DeVault said he would spend time alone with the child and take her on outings, adding that he considered the child his best friend and would relay his unconditional love for her, according to a district attorney's office release.
As the child's parents became wary of the relationship, they cut off contact with DeVault. Yet, he continued to seek her out, delivering letters to her that also included "disparaging comments about the child's parents," investigators said.
Two years later, the child told a family member about inappropriate actions done to her by DeVault, adding that she was concerned he was going to come back for her, prosecutors said. The report was corroborated in a forensic interview done by the Anna Crawford Children's Center when the child said that the defendant had touched her, kissed her on the mouth, among other inappropriate and sexual actions, investigators said.
Throughout the investigation, prosecutors learned DeVault had been in contact with other young girls around the same age. During the trial two other witnesses reported DeVault had other victims, adding they had seen him act in a similar fashion with young girls just outside of Cherokee County.
“Walt DeVault presents as charming and charismatic and was easily able to gain the trust of others. The families in this case trusted him with their most precious gifts, their daughters. He used his position of trust to do sexually inappropriate things to a little girl in Cherokee County. When he lost his access to her, he sought out other little girls and began the process all over again,” said Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper in a prepared statement. Gropper prosecuted the case.
The judge determined upon DeVault's release that he will not be allowed to have contact with the victim or their family and must adhere to sex offender special conditions. DeVault is also forbidden from living in Cherokee County.