Temple man sentenced to life without parole plus 99 years in child sex case

The following was taken from a press release distributed by the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office on April 24, 2023 :

HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. – On Monday, April 24, 2023, Buddy Lamar Baggett Jr was sentenced by Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Andrew Roper to life in prison without the possibility of parole plus an additional 99 years to serve consecutively.

This case began in February 2021 when school officials contacted the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office about a child reporting a sexual assault. The investigation was started immediately by Crimes Against Children Investigator Heather Mecillas and the evidence quickly led to the arrest of Baggett on Child Molestation, Aggravated Child Molestation, Rape, Incest and Cruelty to Children charges.

The trial for Baggett started with jury selection on April 10, 2023, and concluded on April 19, 2023, with guilty verdicts on all counts which were two counts of Rape, two counts of Incest, two counts of Child Molestation, one count of Aggravated Child Molestation and one count of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree. The lengthy trial saw a significant amount of testimonial and physical evidence presented by Assistant District Attorney Robert Peterkin. ADA Peterkin was assisted by the Deputy Chief ADA Sarah Japour during the trial. 

We would like to thank the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations for their part in getting justice for the victim. We thank the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for the fantastic prosecutorial work in this case in securing the conviction. We also thank the jury for their hard work and dedication to their civic duty. 

“I am proud of the work put in by Sgt. Mecillas in this case as well as the dedication of the Tallapoosa Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney’s Office. The teamwork between us and the DA’s Office is paramount in getting these predators off the street,” states Sheriff Stacy Williams. “This child predator will never be allowed to harm another child in Haralson County or any other county, and that is the most important message this conviction and sentence sends.”