By Joe Johnson
An Elbert County man was recently formally accused of sexually assaulting a child under 10 years old.
Willie Ray Shine, 21, of Elberton was charged in an indictment filed
Nov. 19 in Clarke County Superior Court with aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, and child molestation.
The assaults allegedly occurred between August 2018 and May of this year, according to the indictment,
It could not be determined from the redacted indictment whether the same child was involved in all the alleged assaults.
The first count of the indictment, which charges Shine with aggravated sodomy, states that the alleged victim was “a person less than 10 years old.”
Count two, aggravated child molestation involves a victim “under the age of 16,” and it cites female genitalia that Shine allegedly injured when molesting the child.
In count 3, Shine is accused of child molestation because he “did commit an immoral and indecent act…to a child under the age of 16 years” by exposing himself to the victim.
The fact he was indicted in Clarke County Superior Court means the alleged crimes occurred in Athens-Clarke County.
Shine was arrested on Oct. 4 and he was denied bond during a Nov. 11 hearing, according to court records.
An arraignment date had yet to be scheduled as of Monday.
Anyone who has been sexually assaulted or knows someone who has can contact The Cottage Sexual Assault Center. The agency provides a range of free services for children and adult victims of sexual and physical abuse, including medical accompaniment, advocacy, referrals and support groups.
The Cottage maintains a 24-hour crisis and information hotline at (877) 363-1912.