Man Accused Of Molesting Girl At Park

A man accused of molesting a girl in a bathroom at Stone Mountain Park was arrested after an off-duty law enforcement officer said she caught the suspect in the act. Another off-duty officer helped detain the man.

"I saw a gentleman's feet sticking from under the first stall," said Dep. Ruth Stringer with the DeKalb County Sheriff's Department. "The child sounded like he or she was in distress."

Stringer said she immediately knew something was wrong.

"I yelled, 'Hey, come out of there, come out,'" said Stringer.

Stone Mountain Park police said Patrick Leithead was in the act of molesting a 13-year-old girl while her parents waited outside for her just a few feet away.

"We know he wasn't in there when she went in," said Stone Mountain Park Police Chief Chuck Kelley.

"He let the girl out. She came out, she was a little disheveled and shaken. I grabbed her and I said, 'Are you OK?'," said Stringer.

The girl said she was OK and then Stringer yelled for someone to call 911.

Stringer said she had no idea that off-duty Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Sara Thomas was nearby and had seen Leithead standing outside the bathrooms.

"He was focusing on women as they were passing by and it just didn't seem right," said Thomas.

While Stringer checked the victim, Thomas detained Leithead until park police arrived.

"Both of them are truly dedicated professionals," said Kelley.

Some would add 'heroes' to that description.

"I said God put me there to help that little girl...a hero? I don't know," said Stringer.

"We so much every day, so many heroes that we work with on a daily basis, that I'm just glad we were here," said Thomas.

The chief said this incident was the first attack of its kind in his 36 years on the force.

Leithead was charged with aggravated child molestation and is being held without bond.