71-year-old gets 10 years in prison for molesting children in Dawson County

Ralston Cecil Dew

Credit: Forsyth County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Forsyth County Sheriff's Office

Ralston Cecil Dew

A 71-year-old man from Forsyth County accused of molesting at least six girls in three North Georgia counties was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty in two of the cases.

Ralston Cecil Dew of Cumming was convicted last week on two counts of child molestation in Dawson County, prosecutors said. He was given a 40-year sentence with 10 to serve in prison.

Dew must register as a sex offender upon his release and will remain on probation, authorities said.

He was arrested three times in one year after he was accused of groping and kissing young girls in Dawson, Cherokee and Forsyth counties, AJC.com previously reported.

RELATED: Cops: 70-year-old molested 6 girls in 3 North Georgia counties 

Investigators said the molestation occurred between June and December 2017, and one of the alleged assaults occurred at his home in Cumming.

He was arrested in December 2017 and March 2018 on charges involving minors in Cherokee and Dawson counties, respectively.

It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday what became of Dew’s charges in Cherokee and Forsyth. Lee Darragh, district attorney for the Northeastern Judicial Circuit, said the court entered orders allowing evidence in the other cases to be admitted should there be a trial.

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