Police jailed a Lula man for allegedly sexually abusing children in White and Hall counties. Now, they want to know if there are more victims out there.
30-year-old Matthew James Felmey is charged with eleven counts between the two jurisdictions. The allegations involve at least two female victims in Hall County and a child under the age of 10 in White County.
Dual investigation
According to information released by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began on April 9 when deputies there received a referral from the Hall County Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) Office. After determining the referral was related to incidents in Cleveland, Hall County investigators notified the Cleveland Police Department in White County and launched a joint investigation.
Hall County deputies arrested Felmey on Tuesday, May 5. They then obtained a search warrant for his cellphone and seized it.
Jail records show that on May 6, Cleveland Police booked Felmey into the White County jail for crimes he’s accused of committing in Cleveland. The charges against him include aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, child molestation, incest, using a minor in a sexually explicit manner for a visual medium, and first-degree child cruelty.
As of early Friday, May 14, Felmey remained in jail without bond.
More victims
During the ongoing investigation, Hall County detectives learned of the two victims in Hall County. They say they located video on Felmey’s phone that showed him committing similar crimes against a young girl at his home in Lula.
Their preliminary investigation reveals that Felmey allegedly raped, molested, sodomized, and sexually battered the girl between Sunday morning, May 3, and Monday evening, May 4. Investigators also charged Felmey with aggravated sexual battery against a second female victim dating back to between January and September of 2013.
Felmey knew both Hall County victims, according to Booth. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is continuing with its investigation, and officials expect more charges will be filed.
Investigators are asking anyone with information on other potential victims to contact Investigator Alford at (770) 533-7690.
