COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A man prosecutors called a "serial child molester" will serve three life sentences, the district attorney's office announced.
According to the Cobb District Attorney, a jury found Curtis Lee Paige of Raeford, North Carolina guilty, Friday, of abusing two children between 2004 and 2008. Prosecutors said evidence suggests the 51-year-old may have abused as many as five children, but he was only formally charged for two cases because of the statute of limitations.
Prosecutors said Paige encountered his victims through his girlfriend - who worked as a babysitter.
Investigators said the first victim of Paige to come forward had been having behavioral issues as a teen and finally broke down and told her mother what happened years ago while in Paige's care. The victim told Cobb Police that Paige had not only abused her as a young child, but she also witnessed him sexually abusing other children.
Later, a second victim came forward that she, too, had suffered abuse under Paige while he was dating her mother. She told police that she had also witnessed Paige abuse other children - including the same children identified by the first victim.
Prosecutors said evidence was clear Paige preyed on "every child in his care" for years.
"It has been almost 15 years since the abuse began and these victims are no longer children. They came into court as strong women now able to express the feelings of fear and embarrassment that kept them from disclosing for so long,” said ADA Meredith Florio, who prosecuted the case with ADA Rachel Hines.
“One victim told the jury: ‘I thought I would be able to forget by now, but I can’t and I won’t'," added Florio. "This sentence ensures that justice delayed will not be justice denied for these victims.”
The jury convicted Paige of three counts of aggravated child molestation, one count of aggravated sodomy, and eight counts of child molestation. Shortly after the verdict, a judge sentenced Paige to three consecutive life sentences plus 20 years.