Georgia man sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexual battery [Video]

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Houston County man was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole on Monday after pleading guilty to aggravated sexual battery, according to a press release from the Houston County District Attorney’s Office.

The release said Austin Mitchell Barber, 39, was charged based on allegations of sexual abuse on a 12-year-old child. Barber, according to the release, sexually abused the child around 2020 during the pandemic lockdowns and continued to do so a few years after.

“This case is a classic example of childhood sexual abuse. It’s almost always the person you least expect,” Assistant District Attorney Justin Duane said. “Mr. Barber was an otherwise upstanding member of the community with no criminal history. The abuse occurred out of sight, and he used his position of authority over …