Life Term For Infant Assault Conviction

Jesse James Hawkins, 22, of Douglasville was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 23 after entering guilty pleas in Paulding County Superior Court. The first 25 years of the term must be served in state prison. Georgia law requires him to serve every day of that 25-year period before any release, followed by mandatory sex offender supervision.

Hawkins pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual battery, aggravated battery, and first-degree and second-degree cruelty to children. A Superior Court judge accepted a negotiated plea agreement, according to the Paulding Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.

The case began in March 2025, when the infant's mother took the 10-month-old girl to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for emergency medical treatment. Paulding County Sheriff's Office investigators opened an inquiry and determined that Hawkins, who was the mother's boyfriend, sexually assaulted the child with an unknown object, prosecutors said.

District Attorney Robert S. Lane said investigators and prosecutors worked together to secure the sentence. He said no punishment can undo the trauma inflicted on the child, and that Hawkins will remain behind bars for decades. Authorities have not released the child's current medical condition, and prosecutors have not said whether any additional charges were considered during the investigation.

The district attorney's office released details of the case through an official news release.