An Augusta man whose victim buried the secret of her molestation for a decade pleaded guilty Monday, Aug. 8.
Damien J. Pierce, 40, pleaded guilty in Richmond County Superior Court to a single count of child molestation. He had been scheduled to stand trial this week but opted to accept a plea negotiation that capped any time in prison to a maximum of eight years. Judge Daniel J. Craig sentenced Pierce to eight years in prison followed by 12 years on probation.
Sometime between 2008 and 2009, Pierce molested the then 8-year-old child, said Assistant District Attorney Deshala Dixon, who prepared the case for trial and traveled to Massachusetts, where the victim now lives, to pick up the young woman and bring her back for the trial in Augusta.
The girl never told anyone what had happened to her until she was a senior in high school. The nightmares of flashbacks that had started when she was 14 combined with other stress in her life to bring on a complete meltdown, Dixon said. She finally told her mother what Pierce had done.
Pierce who has been held in jail since his indictment and arrest in 2018 will get credit for the time he has served already. His attorney Andrew Williams noted that never before or after what happened in this case has Pierce ever been accused of such an act. He had no criminal history.
Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com.
