Crawford County Jury Convicts Christopher Swinford of Child Molestation

MACON, Georgia – A Crawford County jury convicted 46-year-old Christopher Swinford of child molestation on Saturday, October 31, after a six-day trial. He received a 20-year sentence, with the first 19 years to serve in the Georgia Department of Corrections, according to the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

The verdict came 13 years to the day after Swinford pleaded guilty in 2013 to similar conduct involving a different 9-year-old girl, prosecutors said.

What happened in 2022

Prosecutors said Swinford molested a 9-year-old girl in the basement of his home on April 7, 2022. The girl and three of her younger sisters were staying at the house while their mother was at work.

The girl told her mother what happened. Her mother reported it to police quickly, the DA’s office said.

During the investigation, Swinford gave law enforcement video footage from inside the home. The footage was missing the period of time when the incident happened, according to prosecutors.

Earlier case ended in probation

In 2013, Swinford pleaded guilty as a first offender to similar conduct involving a different 9-year-old girl. He received probation. The mother in the current case did not know about that earlier case when her daughters were in his home, prosecutors said.

Both victims testified before the jury about what happened to them.

“This young girl found the courage to tell the truth, and a Crawford County jury listened,” said Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard. “I am proud of my team and their advocacy for this girl and all children who are violated in incomprehensible ways like this. I’m also grateful to the GBI for a thorough investigation. Mr. Swinford will now spend nearly two decades in prison, where he cannot harm another child.”

Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Taylor Wilson and Assistant District Attorney Hannah Frantz prosecuted the case. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation.

Last month, a Crawford County man was sentenced to 30 years for child molestation in a separate case.