Man, 19, Charged With Child Molestation

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A Rome man has been charged with child molestation.

Adairsville police arrested and charged William Morgan Godbee, 19, with sexual battery on a minor, aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, terroristic threats, cruelty to children in the first degree and enticing a child for indecent purposes, the agency said on Tuesday.

All the charges are felony offenses, Adairsville Police Chief Arnold Gillman said.

In December 2014, detectives with the Adairsville Police Department began their investigation into the incidents, which occurred between 2010 and 2011.

“During the course of their investigation, detectives learned the children were threatened by the suspect and feared telling anyone sooner,” Gillman added.

The victims, agency spokesperson Corporal Michaela LaFrance added, were all under the age of nine years old at the time. Additionally, LaFrance noted the children were familiar with Godbee, as he was a friend of their family.

After several interviews, the detectives subsequently took out arrest warrants for Godbee, who was eventually arrested in North Carolina and extradited back to Georgia.

He is currently being held at the Bartow County Jail with no bond.

Photo: William Morgan Godbee, 19. Credit: Bartow County Sheriff’s Office