A Cornelia man remains behind bars following his arrest last week in a decade-old child molestation case.
According to the arrest warrant filed by the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Fernando Linares-Ortiz, 42, sexually assaulted a girl under the age of 16. The alleged assault occurred sometime between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012.
The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) referred the case to the sheriff’s office on June 17, 2022. The case manager notified authorities that DFCS had screened out and closed the case. The investigating deputy decided to pursue the case further “due to the nature of the allegations,” the incident report states.
The alleged abuse reportedly occurred at a home in Cornelia.
Deputies arrested Linares-Ortiz last Wednesday, September 21, and booked him at the Habersham County Detention Center. Magistrate Judge Amy Thomas set his bond at $16,600.
