Snellville man gets prison for assaults at Lawrenceville pool
William Michael Hegwood. Courtesy of Gwinnett County DA
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A Snellville man has been sentenced to prison for inappropriately touching two girls and two women at a Lawrenceville aquatic center last year.
What we know:
William Michael Hegwood, 70, was convicted of felony sexual battery against a child under 16 and two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery for the April 2024 incident.
A judge sentenced Hegwood to five years in prison followed by two years of probation. Prosecutors said the assaults occurred on April 7 in the lazy river area of the public facility, where a 12-year-old girl reported that a man she didn’t know grabbed her thigh. Her mother then witnessed him touching another girl and alerted a lifeguard.
As the complaint was being made, another woman reported that the same man followed her in the lazy river and touched her buttocks. Her 14-year-old daughter later said he reached into her bathing suit. A third woman also told responding officers that Hegwood touched her thigh twice.
What they're saying:
District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson called the conduct "depraved behavior" and said her office is committed to ensuring public spaces remain safe. The case was prosecuted by Special Victims Unit Assistant District Attorneys Mikaela Henderson and Kathy Li with support from investigators and victim advocates.