CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — An Acworth man entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to prison for several charges related to a domestic violence assault.
Victor Manuel Duarte Arias, 31, pleaded guided to kidnapping, two counts of family violence aggravated battery, four counts family violence aggravated assault, three counts false imprisonment, family violence battery and cruelty to children in the third degree.
He was sentenced for his non-negotiated plea to 20 years in prison, followed by 10 years of probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution and not have contact with the victims.
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office started investigating in August 2025 after someone called 911 about physical dispute between an man and a woman. They lived together in a Cherokee County apartment off of Bells Ferry Road.
The caller told the dispatcher the woman may have stabbed the man. But officers who arrived found the man, Duarte Arias, uninjured, and the woman with several injuries.
The woman said the man’s violence to her over three days included strangulation, punching and biting. When she tried to escape, he forced her back into the apartment.
Her injuries included a fractured foot, bite marks to her head, “subconjunctival hemorrhages in the eyes, and petechiae and enlarged vessels in the mouth (consistent with strangulation).” She was taken to the hospital.
Investigators determined one child witnessed the violence, and a second child had seen other acts of domestic violence.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Snow, of the Domestic Violence Unit, said Duarte Arias used violence in an attempt to intimidate the woman into staying in the relationship.
“The investigation revealed a pattern of escalating abuse designed to isolate and control the victim,” she said.
“Particularly troubling were the acts of strangulation, which are among the strongest indicators that domestic violence may become lethal,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said. “This sentence holds the defendant accountable for his actions, protects the victim from further harm, and sends a clear message that this type of violence will not be tolerated.”
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