A Grovetown man accused of sexually abusing four children was handed a 15-year prison sentence last week after entering an Alford plea before the start of his second trial.
Rodney Earl Brown, 67, was initially found guilty of aggravated child molestation, three counts of child molestation and other charges in April 2022. He was accused of abusing the victims starting when they were four to seven years old.
Jurors heard extensive testimony about the abuse at trial, including from the victims themselves, while Brown pleaded not guilty and testified the allegations were fabrications. The children’s accounts were possibly influenced by Brown’s wife, who wanted to get him out of the house due to his drinking, he said.
After several hours of deliberations, the jury reported it was deadlocked, 11-1. The one holdout was a forensic analyst who couldn’t put aside his job to decide the verdict, fellow jurors reported.
Making an inquiry, the trial court heard evidence the analyst had posted on social media both before and after being sworn in. Prior to jury selection, he’d tweeted that as a forensic analyst, he was a “walking mistrial” and highly unlikely to be selected as a juror. He posted again about discussing his situation with the court during the selection process.
Then after being selected as a juror – neither side elected to strike him – and warned not to share information about the case, he posted again, stating “Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence.” Based on the tweets and the fact he posted on social media after being told not to, Columbia County Superior Court Judge Sheryl Jolly removed him from the jury.
With an alternate juror replacing the analyst, the jury found Brown guilty on all but one of nine counts. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 70 years. His motion for a mistrial was denied.
On appeal, Brown’s attorneys argued the state could have struck the juror earlier, but only became interested in removing him when he became the lone holdout. They contended the judge should have instructed the jury to begin deliberations anew when the alternate juror was added.
The Georgia Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision to deny Brown a new trial. It held the analyst juror’s use of prior knowledge did not make him unfit, and that his tweets did not reveal case details or attempt to influence the deliberations.
Brown’s new trial was scheduled for this week when he entered the Alford plea July 8. An Alford plea means the defendant maintains his innocence but accepts the consequences of a guilty plea without admitting to the crime.
According to court records, in return for the Alford plea prosecutors declined to prosecute Brown on the charges of aggravated child molestation, one count of child molestation and two counts of furnishing obscene material to a minor.
Brown pleaded guilty under Alford to incest, for which Jolly gave him 50 years, with 15 to serve in confinement followed by 35 years on probation. He entered an Alford plea to three counts of child molestation, for which Jolly gave him 15 years of confinement each plus five years probation, all to serve concurrent with the first 15 years.
Conditions of Brown’s probation include his being banned from Columbia County. He can have no contact with any minors or any of the victims or their families. He’s not allowed to have sexually explicit materials or consume alcohol or drugs.
