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On March 3, 2022, after a seven-day trial, a Troup County jury found Timothy Joel Cross, 67, of Pine Mountain,  guilty of Child Molestation, according to a press release from the office of Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herb Cranford.

Coweta Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Dustin Hightower has tentatively scheduled sentencing on April 20, 2022. 

The evidence at trial showed that in February of 2017, the victim, a nine-year-old girl, was spending the night at Cross’s residence in Troup County, the press release said.

The victim fell asleep in the living room after watching movies and playing games. While she was sleeping, Cross came into the living room and sexually assaulted her, causing her to wake up. After the victim disclosed what happened to her mother, she made further disclosures to forensic interviewer Kim Adams of the Twin Cedars Child Advocacy Center. At trial, Adams testified that the defendant exhibited behaviors consistent with grooming during his interactions with the victim. Adams’s testimony and 20 years of experience proved to be an important aspect to the success of this case, Cranford said.  Along with the victim’s testimony, the jury was presented with evidence of Cross’s prior acts of child molestation.

In the mid-1980s, Cross began molesting a relative when she was about eight or nine-years-old, according to the press release. 

This victim lived with this abuse for multiple years until she was able to leave the home. In 1997, Cross, while under oath, was asked if he molested her and  he stated, “Yes I did.” The transcript of that confession was displayed to the jury to consider. The lead investigator on this case, Leigh Brooks of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, was instrumental in the discovery of Cross’s prior victim, Cranford said. Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Smith prosecuted this case and worked tirelessly to obtain justice for the victim, he added. 

Cranford said he was thankful that all of the members of the DA’s Office, GBI, local law enforcement, Twin Cedars Child Advocacy Center, and so many others are committed to protecting children and bringing child abusers like Cross to justice.