Marietta man pleads guilty to child molestation in Cherokee County

CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - A Marietta man who was known to his victim's family as "Uncle J" was sentenced to prison Monday after pleading guilty to child molestation charges, officials said. 

What we know:

Jarrod Donte Luster, 39, of Marietta, pled guilty Monday to two counts of child molestation, according to an announcement by the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office. 

Senior Judge Ronnie K. Batchelor sentenced Luster to 30 years, ordering him to serve the first 20 years in prison and the remainder on probation. Luster's case was originally scheduled to go before a jury trial before he entered the guilty plea.

The probation period carries strict sex offender special conditions, including formal sex offender registration and a complete ban on contact with anyone under the age of 18. The court also ordered Luster to have no contact of any kind with all four of the victims and their families.

The backstory:

The Cherokee Sheriff's Office began investigating Luster on Nov. 27, 2023, after a 14-year-old disclosed abuse that occurred when he was 8 years old. The victim revealed that Luster touched his inner thigh and grabbed his groin in 2018 while babysitting while the child's mother was hospitalized. Luster was a close family friend who had frequent access to the child.

During the investigation, three additional children from the extended family disclosed similar acts involving Luster. Those separate incidents occurred outside of Cherokee County. 

The case was investigated by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Bartow County Sheriff's Office, Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, and Gordon County Sheriff's Office.

What they're saying:

"This defendant insidiously embedded himself within an extended family to gain access to their children. He spent years cultivating trust, grooming each child over time, and carefully selecting moments to commit his offenses. His actions were calculated and predatory," said Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Frankish of the Special Victims Unit, who prosecuted the case for the State.

During sentencing, the court heard six impact statements describing how Luster manipulated the family and inflicted lasting trauma. 

"Jarrod became deeply integrated into our family. He attended family gatherings, holidays, and important events. We viewed him as a brother, and the children knew him as ‘Uncle J.’ He used that trusted position to form close relationships with the children," one parent said during the hearing.

Another parent shared the profound toll of the abuse, stating, "The betrayal and devastation caused by Jarrod’s actions are impossible to fully describe. I have grieved the relationship and person I thought Jarrod was. The facade and act he portrayed is long gone. I see this person now for what he is, an evil soul living in the carcass of a man he deceived all of us he was."

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released details regarding the specific locations or counties where the other three children were abused outside of Cherokee County. It also remains unknown if Luster faces additional legal charges or separate trials in those neighboring jurisdictions.