A Georgia man has been arrested after police say he sexually assaulted a juvenile at Swift-Cantrell Park in Kennesaw, a city in Cobb County.
Swift-Cantrell Park in Kennesaw is always filled with people exercising, family get-togethers, and children playing from sun up to sundown. However, police say this past Sunday, that joy was shattered by a horrible crime.
A man forced a juvenile into the men’s restroom and raped her, court documents show.
Kennesaw Police say in less than 24 hours, detectives launched a probe into the disturbing incident and secured an arrest warrant. With the assistance of the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit, US Marshal’s Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, a man was apprehended for the heinous crime, Fox5 reported.
The accused rapist, 32-year-old Austin Dean Stovall, is charged with rape, aggravated sexual battery, child molestation, kidnapping, cruelty to children and false imprisonment.
Kennesaw Police Chief William Westenberger released a statement that reads in part, “To the citizens of Kennesaw, this is the first incident like this to ever occur in Swift-Cantrell Park. We take our oath to protect and serve very seriously. The suspect was identified, apprehended, and will now be held accountable for his actions”.
Stovall had a run-in with Kennesaw Police in the past. In April 2019, Stovall was arrested after claiming to be a police officer and threatening the real police officers. He was ultimately convicted of Obstruction and Impersonating an Officer and later released on a bond.
Stovall is now back in jail, and this time, he is being held without bond.
In his statement, the police chief also said his “thoughts are with the victim and their family following this egregious incident. This is something that no juvenile should ever have to experience”.
