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Written by: KC Harrington
Edited by: Mike Stivic
Published June 9, 2026 @ 11:19 AM ET
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — An Acworth man will spend the next two decades behind bars after admitting to a series of crimes tied to a three-day stretch of domestic violence that left a woman badly hurt, court records show.
Victor Manuel Duarte Arias, 31, pleaded guilty without a negotiated agreement to a lengthy list of charges: kidnapping, two counts of family violence aggravated battery, four counts of family violence aggravated assault, three counts of false imprisonment, family violence battery, and third-degree cruelty to children. The court handed down a 20-year prison term followed by 10 years on probation, along with orders to pay restitution and to stay away from the victims entirely.
The case traces back to August 2025, when someone called 911 to report a physical altercation between a man and a woman at an apartment complex near Bells Ferry Road, according to authorities. The caller’s first account suggested the woman might have stabbed the man. That is not what responding deputies found. Duarte Arias had no injuries, while the woman was hurt in several ways.
Investigators later pieced together that the woman had allegedly survived roughly three days of abuse, including being strangled, punched and bitten, authorities said. According to officials, Duarte Arias kept her from leaving the apartment each time she tried to get out.
Her injuries were extensive. She had a broken foot, bite wounds on her head, bleeding in her eyes, and trauma inside her mouth that investigators linked to strangulation. She was taken to a hospital for care.
The investigation also revealed that one child had seen the abuse firsthand, and a second child had previously been around earlier episodes of domestic violence, according to the report.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Snow told the court the evidence pointed to a man who relied on violence to dominate and frighten the victim. “The investigation revealed a pattern of escalating abuse designed to isolate and control the victim,” Snow said.
District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said the strangulation stood out to prosecutors. Victims who have been strangled often end up at far greater risk of being killed by their abuser, she 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,” Treadaway said.