Couple Sentenced in Physical Abuse Case

A Villa Rica man and his girlfriend were sentenced to a decade in prison Tuesday for various abuse against the man's 15-year-old daughter.

June Arlene Jarrett, 47, of Villa Rica was convicted Nov. 12 of 14 counts of aggravated battery, two counts of aggravated assault and nine counts of cruelty to children in the first degree.

Jarrett must serve 12 years in prison followed by eight years of house arrest and the remaining time on probation, according to a Paulding County Sheriff’s Office news release.

Cory Dean Hill, the victim’s father, was sentenced to 10 years; he must serve three years in prison with the remaining time on probation. The 48-year-old, who was also Jarrett’s boyfriend, had been convicted of cruelty to children in the second degree.

The victim had sustained injuries including two black eyes, five fractured fingers (broken on separate occasions), and multiple bruises and abrasions on the child’s body when she was taken in for care in 2008. She also had multiple cigarette burns covering her face, chest, shoulders, arms, back and stomach. 

“The investigation led detectives to believe that these injuries had been caused by Jarrett,” Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge said in the release. Detectives also discovered that Jarrett would not allow the child to bathe or eat for multiple days in a row and forced the child to clean bathroom fixtures with her mouth.

“The Paulding County District Attorney’s office takes very seriously all crimes against children, and will continue to work with our local law enforcement agencies to prosecute all such offenders,” said Paulding County District Attorney Dick Donovan in the release. “We are very pleased with the outcome of this difficult case, which was the result primarily of the hard work by the detectives in the Paulding Sheriff’s office, whose good work in these cases is essential and much appreciated by the Paulding District Attorney’s Office.”

This case was investigated by Detective Kalina Grimm and her partners with the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Crimes Against Children (CAC) unit. CAC was created in 2006 to focus on cases that involve victims under the age of 18, and to monitor sex offenders that are registered in Paulding County. CAC works closely with outside agencies as part of a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT). MDT is made up of law enforcement, the district attorney’s office, Department of Family and Children’s Services, Harbor House and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. MDT meets weekly to discuss open cases that are under investigation. 

“The types of cases investigated by this unit can become emotionally draining on the detectives,” said CAC Lt. Starry Kilgore. “We have made a commitment within ourselves to strive for the safety of our children that are not able to protect themselves. I am proud of the men and women that have dedicated themselves to the children of Paulding County and for their tremendous work ethic in pursuing child abuse cases.”