A Dahlonega man will spend the next five years in prison as part of a plea deal in a child sex abuse case in White County.
Court documents show that on Oct. 18 in White County Superior Court, Austin Blake Ledford pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation. Judge Joy Parks sentenced him to 15 years for each count. The sentences will be served concurrently with the first five years in prison followed by 10 years probation.
Authorities arrested the then-21-year-old Ledford in Sept. 2023 for abusing two boys. A White County Grand Jury indicted him in January on four counts of child molestation and two counts of sexual battery against a child under the age of 16.
Prosecutors agreed not to pursue the additional charges against Ledford as part of the negotiated plea deal.
Under the terms of his probation, Ledford will be required to wear a tracking device and complete a program for substance abuse or mental health treatment. He must also submit to rehabilitation evaluations and testing and successfully complete rehabilitative programming.
