A man convicted of child molestation receives a life sentence, 30 years to serve incarcerated and the remainder on probation.  In December, a Bartow County jury found Forty-four-year-old Sean Robert Grooms of Cartersville guilty of aggravated sexual battery and child molestation.  He appeared before Judge Rosemary Green Tuesday for sentencing.  Meanwhile, Grooms’s attorney said he would file a motion for a new trial.   Grooms was arrested in 2022 and charged with child molestation and aggravated sexual battery.  According to the indictment, he inappropriately touched a child under the age of 16.  Groom’s attorney suggested the charges stemmed from a custody battle currently underway between the child’s custodians.

Grooms said “I would never, ever hurt a child in any way, shape, form or faction.  This is the greatest tragedy to befall a child, to have their innocence shattered.   I would never ever in my life ever do anything of this nature. I had such faith that the truth would come out.  I still have that faith, God’s got a plan and I have no idea what that is.  I have never felt more ignorant than I feel now but I guess this is a great place to learn.”

On Count 1, Grooms received a life sentence with the first 30 years to serve in custody.  On Count 2, he received a 20-year sentence to run consecutively with Count 1.  He was sentenced under sex offender provisions, including no contact with anyone under the age of 18.