A Habersham County Grand Jury indicted three men on child molestation charges and a fourth on multiple counts of sexually exploiting children.
James Edward May, 60, of Cornelia, is among those indicted. May was arrested twice this year on child molestation charges. The first time he was released on bond.
The Grand Jury recently indicted May on seven counts including aggravated child molestation, child molestation, two counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes, cruelty to children, sexual battery, and aggravated stalking.
The molestation charges stem from two alleged incidents involving a female victim under the age of 16.
Cornelia Police first arrested May, a veteran and former ice cream truck operator, on September 4. He was released from jail the following day on a $52,100 bond. May was arrested again ten days later after allegedly stalking and trying to intimidate another female after he was released from jail.
Cornelia Police Chief Chad Smith said at the time of May’s arrest, none of the charges against him are connected to the ice-cream truck operation.
The Grand Jury also indicted May for an alleged incident that happened in jail. According to the indictment, on September 27, 2020, May bit a jailer on the shoulder and hand while the jailer was putting him in restraints. Jurors indicted May on one count of obstruction of an officer.
In a separate child molestation case, the Grand Jury indicted a Mt. Airy man on multiple counts. Jurors indicted 51-year-old William Clinton Elrod with aggravated sodomy, two counts of aggravated child molestation, child molestation, and aggravated sexual battery
According to the indictment, at least one of the alleged crimes occurred when the girl was younger than 10 years old. The indictment covers a period of time from January 1, 2012, to June 30, 2015.
Habersham deputies arrested Elrod on July 30. He’s been out of jail since August 25, according to jail records.
Grand Jurors also indicted Francisco Tomas-Antonio with two counts of aggravated child molestation and one count of child molestation. The charges stem from incidents that allegedly occurred between January 1, 2017, and September 11, 2020.
Tomas-Antonio remains in jail without bond.
And a 79-year-old Clarkesville man faces possible prison time after the Grand Jury indicted him on six counts of sexually exploiting children. David Randolph Newcomer is accused of possessing child pornography. It’s his second arrest on child-porn charges in the past four years, according to jail records. He was on probation when he was arrested in October 2019.
Prior to that arrest, Newcomer was jailed in June 2016 following a two-month-long investigation by the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, Clarkesville Police, and Habersham County District Attorney’s Office.
