Posts

Being charged with Rape in Newton County

Rape is a serious crime in the State of Georgia. If you are arrested or under investigation, in Newton County, for rape, please do not make any statements to the police. It is imperative that you retain a qualified attorney immediately if you are being accused of rape. The Newton County District Attorney’s office zealously prosecutes these cases and they are very prepared. Many allegations of rape are false. Even if you know the allegation of rape against you is made up, you still must take it very seriously and aggressively defend yourself.

If you are arrested, you will be on the calendar the following morning for First Appearance. At this hearing, the Newton County Magistrate Judge will read the warrants to you. They then might consider bond depending on the allegations but will likely deny bond in a rape case. You will then need to file a motion for a formal bond hearing in Newton Superior Court and a preliminary hearing in magistrate court. These hearings take place at the Newton County Courthouse in downtown Covington, Georgia. It is crucial to get an attorney retained to be at the First Appearance hearing at the Newton County jail.

O.C.G.A. § 16-6-1 defines rape as follows:

When someone has carnal knowledge of (1) a female forcibly and against her will, or (2) a female who is less than 10 years of age. Carnal knowledge is any penetration of the female sex organ by the male sex organ. Against her ill means without consent. Forcibly means acts of physical force, threats of death or bodily harm, or mental coercion such as intimidation.

The elements that Newton County District Attorney’s office must prove to convict you are 1) penetration, 2) force, and 3) against her will. Physical injury is not an element.

The Newton County Superior Court has 5 judges. All are very fair and will give you a fair trial. The Superior Court Judges are Chief Judge John Ott, Judge Chevada McCamy, Judge Layla Zon, Judge Jeffrey Foster and Judge Kendall Wynne.

It is imperative that you do not walk into court on a rape charge in Newton County either without a lawyer or with a lawyer who does not handle sex crimes. Rape cases are very difficult to defend and require someone with the knowledge and experience to defend them.

The punishment for rape is a mandatory 25 years to life in prison. You need to put everything you have into the trial to win. Do not rely on an appeal to be successful. You must win your rape trial to avoid spending the rest of your life in prison.

I would be happy to meet with you any time for a free consultation to discuss your case, your rights and your defenses to these allegations. Our office is in downtown Atlanta.

Call me at 404-581-0999 and let’s schedule a time to meet and discuss your case.

It is your life, your criminal record and you deserve the best representation possible.