A Snellville man has been sentenced to five years in prison and two years of probation for inappropriately touching two girls and two women at a Lawrenceville swimming pool.
The Gwinnett County District Attorney’s office said William Michael Hegwood, 70, was found guilty of felony sexual battery against a child under the age of 16 and two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery for the incidents.
“This is depraved behavior,” District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “It is important that people feel safe to enjoy our public facilities. Predators like this defendant will be brought to justice.”
The crimes occurred on April 7, 2024, when a 12-year-old girl told her mother that a man she did not know grabbed her upper thigh while she was in the pool with her sister. The mother then saw Hegwood touch another girl inappropriately and reported him to the lifeguard.
While the mother made her complaint, another woman reported to the lifeguard that Hegwood followed her in the lazy river and touched her buttocks.
The other woman’s 14-year-old daughter also reported that Hegwood reached into her bathing suit.
The Gwinnett County Police Department was called, and when officers arrived at the aquatic center, a third woman told officers that he had touched her thigh twice.
Special Victims Unit Assistant District Attorneys Mikaela Henderson and Kathy Li handled the prosecution, supported by SVU Investigator Lashonda Williams and SVU Victim Witness Advocate Rocio Pineda.
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