A Bartow County man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after being convicted of a series of child sex offenses committed in 2021.
On June 26, a jury found 37-year-old Ryan Navin Persad guilty of eight sexual offenses involving a 12-year-old child. The charges included Aggravated Child Molestation, Aggravated Sexual Battery, Child Molestation, and Enticing a Child for Indecent Purposes. Many of the offenses occurred at Persad’s residence in Bartow County, where he had regular access to the victim through the child’s family.
The trial, presided over by Senior Superior Court Judge Walter J. Matthews, concluded with a life sentence. Due to Persad’s prior criminal history, he is not eligible for parole.
Assistant District Attorney Colleen M. Hampton and Chief Assistant District Attorney Whitney A. Law prosecuted the case. Over the course of the four-day trial, jurors heard from multiple witnesses, including the victim, and reviewed digital evidence—including inappropriate messages Persad had sent to the child, which were recovered by the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office from the child’s phone.
The investigation also involved a forensic interview conducted at the Child Advocacy Center at Advocates for Children in Cartersville, and a medical examination by the Northwest Georgia Sexual Assault Center.
Chief ADA Law credited the outcome to strong interagency cooperation, stating:
“The multidisciplinary agencies of Bartow County collaborated to build the case against Persad and seek justice for this child. The jury followed the evidence and the law and showed that this community will not tolerate people who prey upon our children.”
