DADE COUNTY, Ga. (WTVC) — A jury in Dade County convicted a 76-year-old man for repeatedly molesting a young girl over the course of 3 years.
Ronald Craig Neugard was convicted on 6 counts, including multiple counts of aggravated sodomy and aggravated child molestation.
The victim in this case tearfully told the jury what happened to her in what Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit (LMJC) District Attorney Clayton Fuller called “courageous and emotional.”
Neugard had several witnesses testify to his character as a veteran, a tactic that D.A. Fuller rebuked, telling him.
..draping yourself in that flag and using it as a shield as your victim devolves into tears is your true service record.
Fuller says the victim had to testify “due to the refusal of necessary witnesses from the SAFE Child Advocacy Center in North Carolina to participate in the bench trial despite numerous attempts over several months by the LMJC District Attorney’s office to have said witnesses participate.”
After his conviction, a judge sentenced Neugard to life in prison.
Fuller said
In partnership with the Dade County Sheriff’s Office, we took a predator off the streets who hid beneath the star-spangled camouflage of a patriot. We hope this verdict can bring some sense of justice to this brave victim in this case.
