A man who was a soldier at Fort Benning at the time of his arrest has been sentenced to 40 years, with 15 of them to be served in custody with no chance of parole.

Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady, Jr. announced that the plea deal was reached on July 12 after Trevon Lamar Teague enter a guilty plea to Aggravated Child Molestation the previous day.

As terms of the deal, Cobb County Assisting Superior Court Judge Tambra Colston sentenced Teague to 40 years, 15 years of which are to be served in custody without the possibility of parole, followed by supervised probation and no contact with the victim.

The public information release described the incident leading to the sentence as follows:

Teague’s charges stemmed from allegations he sexually assaulted a male child victim over a span of several years. In May 2019, the child victim who was twelve years old at the time made an outcry to a family member who alerted law enforcement. CCPD Crimes Against Children Unit with the help of SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center investigated the allegations. The victim detailed the abuse during a forensic interview. Teague was arrested on December 7, 2020 and later indicted on December 11, 2020.

Teague’s trial began on July 11, 2022.

During the course of the trial he decided to enter a guilty plea.

The District Attorney’s trial team included Assistant District Attorney Sarah Hilleren, Assistant District Attorney Dallas Cox, Investigator C. Burkes, Victim Advocates Ellyn Mills and Emily Canavan, Legal Administrative Assistant Dawn Carter, and Legal Intern Matt Delfino.

Teague was certified as indigent, and Marietta attorney Brian Hobbs was appointed by the court to represent him.

District Attorney Broady stated, “This defendant preyed upon this child for many years. He used fear, force, and intimidation to further his abuse. This sentence holds him accountable for his unconscionable actions. We pray this will be one of the first steps in healing for the victim.”

What is Cobb County Superior Court?

In Georgia, the Superior Court is one of three trial courts found in each judicial circuit. The other two trial courts are State Courts and Probate Courts.

If you watch TV or movie courtroom dramas you’ll be familiar with the most high-profile role of this particular court. Superior Court in Georgia would be the court where a murder trial would be conducted.

So the Cobb County Superior Court conducts felony trials.

But it also handles a number of other types of cases.

The Georgia Superior Courts website describes the varied functions as follows:

The Superior Courts of Georgia is a court of general jurisdiction handling both civil and criminal law actions. Superior Court Judges preside over cases involving misdemeanors, contract disputes, premises liability, and various other actions. In addition, the Superior Court has exclusive equity jurisdiction over all cases of divorce, title to land, and felonies involving jury trials, including death penalty cases.

How are Superior Court judges chosen?

Superior Court judges are elected for four-year terms in nonpartisan elections. If a judge resigns or retires the governor appoints a replacement to serve out the judge’s unexpired term.

The requirements to run for a Superior Court seat are that the candidate be at least thirty years old, has been a Georgia citizen for at least three years, and the candidate must have practiced law for at least seven years.