A former Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy stands trial in federal court for allegedly enticing a child for sex. Prosecutors told jurors that he arranged to meet a mother and her 7-year-old child for sex in Sandy Springs. His criminal defense attorney argued that he was role-playing and never intended to have sex with the child.
The Macon Telegraph has the story.
Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Gregory Todd Bowden, of Byron, drove to a Sandy Springs restaurant to meet the fictitious mother and her daughter for sex. An FBI agent with the Innocent Images Task Force testified that she initially made contact with Bowden in an online chatroom sometime in October 2008. The agent then explained a series of online chats, emails and telephone calls she had with Bowden which spanned around five months.
According to the agent, Bowden initially asked her to join a virtual role-playing relationship. Their chats eventually evolved into setting up an actual meeting in Sandy Springs where Bowden was arrested. One chat reveals Bowden expressing concern that the girl may possibly tell others of the sexual activity. He was also quoted as saying “I don’t want to go to jail.”
In addition to online chats, the jury was shown various pictures including a photo of a woman and a child which the agent had sent to Bowden. Jurors were also shown pictures that Bowden sent to the agent including his face and a man’s genitals.
Bowden’s attorney, Franklin J. Hogue, told jurors in opening statements that Bowden only intended to role play with the woman in an incestuous fantasy. This argument coincides with statements Bowden gave authorities when he was arrested in February. Specifically, he told agents that he did not think the girl was real.
Pate & Brody is an accomplished Georgia law firm with offices in Atlanta, Macon, Madison and Savannah. Our lawyers are dedicated to pursuing justice for people charged with serious crimes. We have successfully represented clients facing serious federal criminal charges and state criminal charges in courts across Georgia. Our lawyers have been recognized on the list of Georgia’s “Super Lawyers”, and included among Georgia’s “Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend Magazine.
