CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A 71-year-old man will spend years in prison for molesting a 9-year-old girl.
Walter Gary DeVault was sentenced to 40 years for molesting a girl in Cherokee County when she was 9 and 10 years old. The judge ordered that DeVault’s first 15 years be served in confinement in the state prison system.
According to District Attorney Shannon Wallace, DeVault was convicted of child molestation on Feb. 11, 2022. Channel 2 Action News does not identify child abuse victims.
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The case reports said from 2016 to 2017, DeVault, who was a trusted person within the child’s family, would spend time alone with the child, taking her on outings.
DeVault testified at trial that he considered the child as his best friend and would often talk about his unconditional love for her.
The parents grew concerned about DeVault’s interactions with their daughter and cut off all contact with him. But DeVault continued to reach out to the child.
He even delivered handwritten letters, which included “disparaging” comments about the victim’s parents, according to Wallace.
Two years later, the victim told a family member about the abuse DeVault did to her.
“The victim in this case said that when she disclosed this abuse, she felt like a weight was lifted because someone finally knew,” said District Attorney Shannon Wallace. “It’s heartbreaking to think of the anxiety and pain this child has endured, all because of the sick behavior of a man she once adored.”
In the case report, it says the child explained that she was afraid he “was going to come back to get her.”
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In a forensic interview by the Anna Crawford Children’s Center, the child detailed what DeVault did to her. Channel 2 is not sharing those details due to their graphic nature.
The victim gave impact statements at the sentencing hearing. She said she experienced nightmares and post-traumatic stress.
“I cannot look at, smell, or hear certain things without getting scared and having anxiety. This has affected my daily life and has not only affected me but also my entire family,” the victim said. “I now view all older men as creepy, and I am scared of what they will do.”
After further investigation, it was discovered that DeVault was in contact with other little girls around the same age. At trial, two other witnesses described similar incidents that happened with children in another county.
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Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Katie Gropper of the Special Victims Unit prosecuted the case on behalf of the state.
“The families in this case trusted him with their most precious gifts, their daughters. He used his position of trust to do sexually inappropriate things to a little girl in Cherokee County. When he lost his access to her, he sought out other little girls and began the process all over again,” said Gropper.
The judge sentenced DeVault to 40 years with the first 15 years to be served in confinement in the state penitentiary and the remainder to be served on probation.
Upon his release from prison, DeVault cannot have any contact with the victims or their family members. He is also banished from Cherokee County and must adhere to sex offender special conditions.
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