Stranger’s drink made 12-year-old ‘dizzy’ before sexual assault at park, GA police say
A man is accused of luring a 12-year-old with water before sexually assaulting her at an Atlanta-area park, authorities in Georgia say. Now he’s behind bars.
The incident happened just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Shaw Park in Marietta, according to the Cobb County Police Department.
Investigators said the man, identified as Douglas Darch, approached the girl and offered her a water bottle as she was walking in the woods.
The child told police she started to feel “dizzy and tingle” after taking a sip from the seemingly unopened bottle. That’s when Darch is accused of threatening her with a knife and molesting her, police said in an arrest warrant.
It’s not clear what was in the water bottle or if the girl was at the park by herself.
Authorities said Darch is homeless, WSB-TV reported.
He was booked into jail on multiple charges, including felony aggravated child molestation, aggravated assault, child cruelty, terroristic threats and child molestation, online records show.
He remained held without bond as of Jan. 27.
Marietta is about 20 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.
Employee groped his coworkers and flashed teen customers, feds say. Company to pay
Custodian holding razor told student he’d ‘cut him into pieces,’ Florida cops say
Man accused of groping woman at restaurant says his arrest is ‘a Me Too thing,’ cops say
