CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — In mid-June, a Cherokee County man was convicted on charges of child molestation and sexual battery. On Thursday, a judge told him his fate.
According to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office, Brian Holland of Canton will spend decades in prison due to his conviction.
As Channel 2 Action News previously reported, a jury found Holland guilty of two counts of child molestation and three counts of sexual battery against a child younger than 16 after deliberating for an hour.
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The case stemmed from a 2021 investigation by the Canton Police Department.
The police were involved when a father called 911 days before Christmas to report Holland had engaged in in appropriate sexual conduct with his daughter, according to the DA’s office.
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The DA’s office said further investigation showed Holland had inappropriately touched two children.
At trial, multiple witnesses testified, including witnesses and law enforcement officers.
“The evidence showed that the defendant not only violated the trust of children who knew him but also tried to deflect responsibility by shifting blame,” Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Frankish, said in a statement. “When the abuse was first reported, it was deeply troubling that an adult the child trusted told her to forgive the defendant because he was intoxicated.”
During the sentencing hearing, a Cherokee County Superior Court Judge agreed with prosecutors that a “severe penalty” was necessary.
Holland was given a 45 year sentence, with the first 20 to be served in prison. Once he is on probation, the DA’s office said, Holland will be subject to sex offender special conditions and will be barred from contacting his victims.
“By speaking up, one brave child opened the door for another to come forward and share her own experience of sexual abuse by the same defendant. Her courage set in motion an investigation that ultimately held the defendant accountable for the crimes he committed against both girls,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said.
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