A Habersham County couple, initially charged with 28 counts of first degree child cruelty, will report to jail on Friday as part of a plea agreement to lesser charges.
51-year old Richard Scott Burton and 55-year old Cheryle Lynn Burton admitted to four counts each of second-degree cruelty to children. Mr. Burton was the former police chief in Mt. Airy and worked for a number of different local law enforcement and government agencies prior to his arrest.
Mountain Judicial Circuit Assistant District Attorney Eddie Staples says the deal was the result of a number of factors but mainly came down to keeping the children involved off the witness stand. “The reason the State (DA’s Office) agreed to that sentence was to provide closure and finality for the child victims with an admission of wrongdoing by the defendants, without exposing the children to the additional trauma and uncertainty of trial.”
The case began in 2012. One of the Burtons’ adopted children, 13-years-old at the time, ran away from home. When he was found, officers noticed visible signs of abuse and began building their case. They found evidence suggesting the Burtons abused and withheld food from their four adopted kids, ages 11-17. The couple was indicted on 28 counts of first degree child cruelty in 2013. Accusations of sexual abuse surfaced later during counselling sessions with the children but those charges were not prosecuted or “Nolle Prosequi” in legal-speak.
The plea agreement this week will only result in a small amount of jail time, the couple will report to the Habersham County Jail this Friday evening, spend 48 hours in jail, then be released on Sunday evening. They’ll serve 25 weekends like that for a total 50 days in jail each. They’re on probation for 10 years after that and Superior Court Judge Chan Caudell imposed a $10,000 fine for each defendant.
