Crime & Safety

Athens Man Faces 11 Felony Counts for Alleged Sexual Assault

Anyone who has been sexually assaulted or knows someone who has can contact The Cottage Sexual Assault Center and Children's Advocacy Center.

A Winterville man is accused of sexually molesting a child relative in his home.

According to a story in the Athens Banner Herald, Franklin Kennedy Smith of Winterville faces felony charges of incest, statutory rape, child molestation, sodomy, aggravated sexual child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, and sexually battery against a child under 16, according to documents in Clarke County Superior Court.

The story says that Smith was arrested on August 9 after an 8-month investigation and has been incarcerated since then in the Clarke County Jail.

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 The alleged incidents happened at Smith’s Beaverdam Road house, and include his having had sexual intercourse and oral sex with the girl, who was younger than 16 at the time, the story says. Investigators found Smith’s fluids on the girl’s bed.

The girl told officials that she remembers being assaulted in elementary school, the story says, and that the last alleged incident was in January of this year. 

Find out what's happening in Athenswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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