DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ga. — This week, a Douglas County jury found a man guilty of abusing a child with special needs
On March 24, 2021, Villa Rica police received a call from the parents of a nine-year-old special needs child, the victim in this case, reporting that the child had been abused by their caretaker, Richard Billstrom.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Officers were informed that the 9-year-old was nonverbal and suffered from a congenital condition that required 24-hour care.
The parents initially noticed their daughter had been eating less than normal and they became concerned. The parents then set up a hidden camera to observe Billstrom’s care for their daughter.
Video footage showed Billstrom hitting the girl several times and pulling her hair.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Amazon driver fired for trying to steal Henry County woman’s puppy from her yard
- 20-year-old shot to death at Clayton County Family Dollar; suspect still at large, police say
- 8-year-old girl critical after getting hit by car while she was getting on school bus
Billstrom later told police these were “techniques” to help calm the child. The owner of the company he worked for told police that these were not calming techniques nor was the child in need of calming.
He was found guilty of cruelty to children in the first degree.
A date has not yet been set for sentencing.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
IN OTHER NEWS:
©2023 Cox Media Group