CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A registered sex offender who traveled to Canton from out of state to exploit a child learned his sentence after pleading guilty in September.
The Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office said Gary Eugene Evans pled guilty to child molestation, computer pornography and grooming a minor.
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The investigation started on March 9, when the Canton Police Department was told that a woman was concerned about the safety of her granddaughter, who was 14.
The DA’s office said the real hero of the story was a member of the victim’s family.
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“The grandmother who reported her concerns is an absolute hero. She trusted her instincts, spoke up, and prevented an adult from exploiting a child,” Assistant District Attorney David Bailey, of the Special Victims Unit, Office of the District Attorney, said in a statement. “Her courage protected this victim and allowed law enforcement to intervene before further harm occurred. Her willingness to act made a profound difference in a child’s life.”
The caller told police that someone named “Gary” had been talking to the child online for weeks and was on his way to Canton to meet her.
During an interview with the victim, the DA’s office said her contact with Evans escalated to video calls where he engaged in sexually exploitative conduct and that when she told him no sexual activity would occur during his visit, he said, “We’ll see about that.”
Analysis of the victim’s phone showed a screenshot matching Evans, a registered sex offender with a residence in Des Moines, Iowa.
After a search across multiple states, Evans was captured in North Carolina and taken back to Georgia for prosecution.
He entered the plea on Sept. 30, which included terms for probation, including that he register as a sex offender and comply with associated conditions of probation.
“Sexual predators are often deliberate and strategic in how they target children,” District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said. “Although this defendant never had the opportunity to meet this victim in person as planned, Georgia law permits the State to recommend, and the court to impose, such a lengthy sentence where the defendant has demonstrated a history of exploiting children. We are thankful that this defendant has been brought to justice.”
After entering his guilty plea, Evans will serve 25 years in prison.
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