Child enticement charge against Athens man dismissed

By Joe Johnson

The case of an Athens man who was arrested for allegedly trying to lure a 7-year-old girl into his car for sex has been dismissed for lack of witnesses and evidence.

According to a June 10th court filing, a key witness against 61-year-old Bartehqua Nimely has died and the alleged victim’s family has been uncooperative with investigators.

Nimely was arrested in September 2023, and in November 2024 a Clarke County grand jury indicted him one count of enticing a child for indecent purposes.

The motion to dismiss the case filed this month by Assistant District Attorney Landon Fogle reads as follows:

“The State is unable to prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt. Police were first contacted by the defendant about a neighborhood dispute.

“When the defendant led police to the area where the dispute occurred, the family made vague allegations against him related to the charge in the indictment.

“The first witness to speak to police about the situation is now deceased.

“The victim’s family has not been cooperative with follow-up efforts to investigate the case further by our office or by detectives,

“The evidence is not sufficient to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant acted with the requisite intent.”

The motion was approved by Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard with the notation that “this record SHALL be restricted from the defendant’s criminal history.”