Cobb County Child Molester Sentenced

A Marietta man will be spending more than two decades behind bars following his guilty plea on charges related to sexual assaults he committed on children in Cobb County, the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.

Johannes Petrus VanStaden, 46, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated child molestation, child molestation, enticing a child for indecent purposes and simple battery just before his trial was set to begin on Monday. On Tuesday, Cobb County Superior Court Judge S. Lark Ingram sentenced VanStaden to serve 25 years in prison and spend the rest of his life on probation.

The charges against VanStaden stemmed from incidents which occurred in 2012 and 2013 at two homes in Marietta. VanStaden performed sex acts on three girls aged 3, 4, and 7. He was arrested on Jan. 22, 2013, and has been incarcerated ever since, Cobb County jail records show.

“The defendant actually commented to his attorney during his plea concern that this is in effect a life sentence,” said ADA Chuck Boring, who prosecuted the case, in a statement. “Given the effect his crimes had on those children, I sincerely hope it is.”