Cobb County Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill handed down two life sentences plus 38 years for a man convicted of five counts of aggravated child molestation, four counts of child molestation, two counts of rape, and one count of electronically furnishing obscene material to minors.

Tyquan Kent, 40, confessed to the crimes during an interview with Cobb police detective Joshua Allen in 2022.

Cobb County District Attorney Flynn D. Broady Jr. described the events leading to the arrest and conviction as follows:

On December 25, 2022, two minor victims disclosed to their mother that Kent had been sexually abusing them over the previous year. Their mother took both children to a Cobb County hospital for medical evaluation, where hospital staff promptly notified the Cobb County Police Department.

Detective Joshua Allen responded to the report, launching an immediate investigation. Following initial assessments at the hospital, the family was transferred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), where the victims underwent Sexual Assault Nurse Examinations (SANEs).

The following day, forensic interviews were conducted at SafePath, where they described the ongoing abuse. According to their statements, the incidents began while the family resided at a Motel 6 in Cobb County between December 2021 and February 2022 and continued when the family moved to a Red Roof Inn in August 2022.

Detective Allen interviewed Kent on December 26, 2022, where Kent admitted to sexually assaulting the young victims.

“We commend the bravery of these young victims and the outstanding work of our team and law enforcement in bringing this case to justice,” said Broady. 

Assistant District Attorneys Kristen Judd and Rachel Plevak prosecuted the case.

The defendant was represented by Marietta attorney Rick Jason Christian.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911. If you or someone you know has been a victim of child sexual assault, please contact your local police department to file a report. For additional resources, please contact SafePath Children’s Advocacy Center at 770-801-3465.

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 the court. A Superior Court in Georgia would be the court where a murder trial would be conducted.

So the 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 will appoint 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 has practiced law for at least seven years.

How do I learn about Superior Court judges before elections?

Judicial races are among the most difficult for the public to research, but the internet has made it easier.

For Cobb County judicial elections there are a number of media that cover the courts and candidates, including here at the Cobb County Courier, the Marietta Daily Journal, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and East Cobb News.

For biographies of judicial candidates, you can also visit the campaign web pages of the candidates.  Those biographies are of course, written to put the candidate in the best light, but it’s a good starting point for determining the candidate’s educational and employment background.

To get a list of the candidates, visit the Georgia Secretary of State page for qualified candidate information at https://sos.ga.gov/qualifying-candidate-information

Superior Court is considered a state office, so you would select “State” on the Office Type pulldown menu, the General Primary/Special Election under the Election menu, and “Non Partisan” under the Party menu.  Then under Offices scroll down the pulldown menu until you find the Superior Court race you are looking for.