West Virginia man sentenced to life for rape, child pornography charges

COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - A 31-year-old West Virginia man was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including rape, kidnapping, and possession of child pornography.

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What we know:

Dalton Allen Ramsey, of Buckhannon, West Virginia, took a plea deal on Monday in the Superior Court of Coweta County, just before his trial was set to begin.

Ramsey pleaded guilty to one count of rape, one count of kidnapping, four counts of aggravated assault, one count of possession of a knife during the commission of a felony, and one count of sexual exploitation of children. Senior Superior Court Judge Matthew Simmons presided over the case and ordered Ramsey to serve life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years, as mandated by Georgia law.

The backstory:

The charges stem from an incident on Sep. 5, 2022, when Ramsey began communicating with a 17-year-old victim via social media. The following day, he traveled from Buckhannon to Columbus, Georgia, under the pretense of helping the victim travel out of state. Instead, Ramsey drove her to the BT Brown Reservoir in Coweta County, where he strangled, bound, and raped her at knifepoint.

After the assault, Ramsey attempted to drive the victim northbound against her will. However, the victim managed to text emergency personnel, leading law enforcement to locate and stop Ramsey's vehicle in Habersham County. Deputies arrested Ramsey and seized knives, tape, rope, and other evidence from the vehicle.

Further investigation revealed child sexual abuse videos and images on Ramsey's phone, including communications requesting "rape porn" prior to the kidnapping. The disturbing content included videos of child rape.

What they're saying:

District Attorney John Herbert Cranford, Jr. commented on the case, stating, "Dalton Ramsey is an example of the evil and depravity that exists in communities throughout Georgia and the United States where sexual predators create and distribute child pornography. By acting on his sick fantasies, Ramsey’s case demonstrates why the policy of the Coweta Circuit is that every possessor of child pornography should be sent to prison and forced to register as a sex offender for life. I am relieved for this victim and what would have been Ramsey’s future victims that he will now spend at least the next 30 years in a Georgia prison."

"The defendant, you know, had child pornography on his phone and the day prior to picking this victim up was purchasing teen rape videos on the Internet and child pornography. And so, I think that that's one of the factors that went into the judge's decide. And just looking at how much of a predator this defendant was," said Coweta County Senior Assistant District Attorney Magen Bateman.

"So, I can't say for sure what he had planned, but I'm very thankful that she was able to get on that app and get 911 to intervene before something worse happened," Bateman added.

What you can do:

The arrest was facilitated by the victim's use of a smartphone app called Noonlight, which allowed her to send a distress signal and share her location with authorities. An alligator warning sign at the reservoir helped confirm the location of the crime, leading to charges against Ramsey.