James Tyler Turner (Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office)
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A 37-year-old Suwanee apartment maintenance worker will serve 20 years in prison after pleading guilty Friday to sexually abusing a young girl over a two-year period.
James Tyler Turner admitted to charges of aggravated child molestation, child molestation and enticing a child for indecent purposes just as jury selection was underway for his trial.
Suwanee police investigation
What we know:
According to the Gwinnett County District Attorney's Office, the abuse began when the girl was 11 years old and continued until her mother uncovered text messages from Turner on the victim's mobile phone. The mother alerted law enforcement in 2025 when the child was 13 years old.
What they're saying:
Gwinnett County Superior Court ordered Turner to serve 30 years, with 20 years uninterrupted in prison, alongside a mandatory lifetime requirement on the sex offender registry. "This is unconscionable," District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said, adding that the plea resulted from diligent work by law enforcement and prosecutors.
Sex offender registry
What we don't know:
Officials have not released the specific apartment complex where the crimes occurred to protect the identity of the young victim.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Gwinnett Judicial Circuit District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson, who released details on the plea and sentencing through a spokesperson, as well as joint investigative records from the Suwanee Police Department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.