Judge Neal Brunt denied a motion set bond for a Cartersville man accused of numerous felony offenses — including 11 counts of child molestation and two counts of aggravated child molestation — in Bartow Superior Court on Aug. 7.
Per Bartow County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) records, defendant Delmus Doss Adcock, 52, is also charged with one count of aggravated sexual battery, one count of aggravated assault with a firearm, two counts of false imprisonment and two counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes.
“Initially, this case started out as one victim, where the victim made an allegation that this defendant had, on multiple occasions, molested her,” Cherokee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Samir Patel told the court. “That had ensued an investigation that spanned over some days … other victims had started calling the sheriff’s office, and this was a joint investigation by both the Adairsville Police Department and the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office.”
Patel said a second alleged victim came forward and told investigators that she purportedly experienced abuse from the defendant when she was as young as “4 or 5 years old.”
“There was then a third allegation made by Mr. Adcock’s ex-wife,” Patel continued. “The difficulty the State’s having right now is while we proceed on the investigation, there’s continuous new victims that are coming forward and we’re continuing to investigate those.”
Adcock was represented by attorney Michael Namer at the Aug. 7 hearing.
He said that a preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 16.
“He was born and raised and has lived in Bartow County his entire life,” he said. “He is also a diabetic and is in need of certain medications.”
The defendant, he said, has no previous criminal history.
“He also has gainful employment waiting on him when he gets out,” Namer continued. “Northwest Georgia Paving, Inc. … the vice president has written us a letter or a ‘to whom it may concern’ that upon his release from bond that he is welcome back at his work.”
Namer said the allegations cover a timeframe from 2009 to this year.
“Based on the approximately 15-year time span and the random allegations coming out and surfacing now, Mr. Adcock would ask for a reasonable bond to be set at this time so that he can better prepare for his defense,” he said. “Mr. Adcock is not a danger to the community, currently … Mr. Adcock would also be willing to wear an ankle monitor, or any device such as that, to assure the court and the State that Mr. Adcock is adhering by his conditions of bond.”
Patel read two letters during the hearing — one of which was written by one of the named victims in the case.
“I truly am scared, not only for myself and my family but for any other child,” the alleged victim stated. “I wholeheartedly believe that if this man gets out, this will happen again … if Doss gains the ability to return to the streets, I am scared for what he will do.”
The victim stated that the defendant allegedly threatened her in the past.
“He said he’ll harm me, my family and even take the lives of us,” the letter read. “I don’t want more little girls to feel the pain I live with everyday.”
The father of one of the alleged victims also presented a letter, which Patel also read into the court record on Aug. 7.
“I request that bond be denied, his permanent residence is close to my house,” the letter stated. “I fear he will try to intimidate this minor child through her sibling, I fear he could try to intimidate the minor child through her mother, as well.”
The mother of one of the alleged victims briefly spoke at the hearing.
“If he gets out on bond, I know without a doubt he’s coming after us,” she testified. “I’ve never seen him without at least one gun somewhere on him — please your honor, don’t give him bail.”
The father of one of the named victims in the case also spoke at the hearing.
“She’s had a physical examination, there’s been physical proof that this has happened,” he told the court. “She does not feel safe, she told me that she has been threatened by Mr. Adcock via a handgun … an ankle monitor will not keep my daughter safe, an employer’s letter will not keep my daughter safe, only a cage will keep these children safe.”
Patel said the State had “significant concerns” about a civil custody case involving one of the alleged victims.
“We have received repeated indications that not only the mother but her family, also, has tried to intimidate this child, has messaged this child and it makes the State’s ability to prosecute this case even more difficult,” he told the court. “The State will not take these acts kindly. If the State were to find out that other family members were trying to sway this young child, we will bring criminal prosecution charges against those people.”
Adcock, Patel said, is a “terrible” candidate for bond.
“We have firm belief that he will commit other felonies while he’s out on bond,” he said. “We also believe there is a significant risk of intimidating witnesses … we have made this case a priority and will try in every attempt possible to have this case indicted within 90 days.”
Per BCSO records, Adcock has been held in pretrial detention at the local jail since July 11.
“I need to make sure there are no crime lab reports we are awaiting as well as there are no other pending victims,” Patel stated after Judge Brunt denied the bond motion. “We will prioritize this matter and try to get it to the grand jury.”
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