A former Georgia State University bookstore supervisor was granted a $70,000 bond in a child molestation case during a hearing in Clayton County, according to jail records.
Zacchaeus Tillman, 23, faces child molestation, statutory rape and aggravated child molestation charges in a May 2016 sexual assault case. He had already been hired to work for the bookstore when warrants were issued for his arrest in May 2017, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
He was fired March 5 amid his alleged involvement in a theft investigation at the bookstore and, coincidentally, was arrested the same day on the rape allegations.
According to arrest warrants, a 15-year-old girl’s mother returned home during a lunch break and heard someone running down the stairs. Shortly after, the mom called authorities.
The girl told police she met Tillman, who said he was 17, online. The girl discovered Tillman’s real age, which was 19 at the time, when she looked at his ID, according to the warrant. The girl deleted her correspondence with Tillman, but evidence eventually linked him to her.
As part of his bond conditions, Tillman must stay away from the victim, Channel 2 Action News reported. He remained in the Clayton County jail Friday evening, records show. Tillman waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday.
Once out of jail, Tillman will likely be questioned by GSU police after he admitted to stealing $40,000 worth of merchandise, according to a police report. No charges have been formally filed in the investigation, which centers on $400,000 in stolen goods connected to a gift-card scam.
“We’re working out all the details on that, but basically it was a way to defraud through improper returns or returns that never existed where one would give a refund in the form of a gift card,” GSU police Chief Joseph Spillane told Channel 2. “Those gift cards were used for personal purchases potentially by these individuals who are suspects.”
Tillman successfully passed a background check in December 2016 performed by Illinois-based Follett Education Services.
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