On December 6, 2023, Fary Romero, 24, pleaded guilty to Statutory Rape, Child Molestation, and thirteen counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children for sexually abusing a 14 year old female. Carroll County Judge Michael Hubbard accepted the plea agreement negotiated by the State and sentenced Romero to 25 years in prison followed by 15 years on probation.

Assistant District Attorney Wade Mason and DA Investigator Katia Detwiler prosecuted the case. Sgt. Podaras with the Carrollton Police Department led the investigation, which revealed the following:

In March 2022, Carrollton Police Department officers responded to the Rodeway Inn on Centennial Drive in Carrollton in response a caller concerned about the welfare of two teenage girls seen going into a motel room with adult males. When officers went to the hotel room in question, they found the Defendant, another adult male, a 17-year-old female, and a 14-year-old victim in the room, which smelled of burnt marijuana. Investigators found evidence that the Defendant had engaged in sex acts in the motel room with the 14-year-old and that the Defendant video recorded the acts on his cell phone.

When interviewed, the Defendant told officers that he knew that the victim was young prior to engaging in the sex acts with her. On the Defendant’s cell phone, investigators found more videos and images of child pornography. Additionally, investigators learned that the Defendant administered a chatroom where participants traded child pornography. It was also determined that the Defendant is an illegal alien such that he is expected to be deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when he completes his prison sentence. There was no evidence the other adult male committed any felony.

In addition to the Carrollton Police Department, this case involved the University of West Georgia Police Department, the Carroll County Child Advocacy Center, and the Department of Family and Children Services. Above all, the District Attorney’s Office commends the vigilance and compassion of the concerned citizen who trusted his instincts and called law enforcement out of his concern for these two teenage girls he saw outside the hotel.