The Toombs County Grand Jury convened last Monday and returned all 19 bills of indictment as true as presented to them by the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

Charges varied amongst those indicted from possession of illegal drugs to possession of guns while committing crimes or in the possession of a convicted a felon. Aggravated assault was charged against many of those indicted including one for man who was charged with Inflicting Pain on an Elderly Person after allegedly striking a person age 65 of older in the face causing a laceration above the victim’s eye.

Crimes against children are arguably the most disturbing after the convening of a Grand Jury, and the most recent gathering of the appointed body again listened and determined to indict individuals on such charges.

In one such case, a man was indited on two counts of Aggravated Child Molestation, three counts of Child Molestation, and one count of Incest. Grand jurors agreed that information presented to them was enough to indict the man for having allegedly forced a male relative under the age of 16 to perform indecent acts over a period of just shy of a two-years.

In a separate case, another man was indicted on four counts of Child Molestation and one count of Sexual Battery with an underage female. In connection with that indictment, a woman was charged with Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree for allowing the man to reside in the home after being made aware of the allegation of sexual abuse against the child and failing to report the abuse to law enforcement.

Indictments are a matter of public information. However, an indictment is not a definitive determination of guilt and those indicted are to be considered innocent until proven guilty in court or willingly entering a plea of guilt.