Man Impregnates 12-Year-Old Girl, Gets Life Sentence For Raping A Child

A Henry County, Georgia, man pleaded guilty to raping and impregnating a 12-year-old girl. Michael Arnold, 38, was given life sentence Tuesday for impregnating the young child, authorities said Wednesday.

Under the plea agreement, Arnold will serve 25 years of his sentence in prison and the rest of his life on probation. The man from McDonough was arrested after the child's mother reported about him to the police. He admitted in court of sexually assaulting a female family member in March 2017.

The child gave birth to a stillborn fetus, said Megan Matteucci, a spokeswoman with the Henry County District Attorney’s Office, adding the family and the girl were unaware about the pregnancy. DNA obtained from the fetus revealed Arnold as the father.

According to an order from Judge John A. “Trea” Pipkin III, Arnold must serve every day of his prison sentence without the possibility of parole. After being released he will be registered as a sex offender and is barred from contacting the victim.

“The family is satisfied with the outcome because it sends Mr. Arnold to jail for a significant amount of time and requires him to be supervised by law enforcement for the remainder or his life, while protecting the victim from testifying in court,” District Attorney Darius Pattillo said in a statement. “I commend McDonough Police and our team for conducting a thorough investigation and working diligently with public safety officials in another state to get justice in this case.”

There have been several such incidents when young children have been raped and impregnated.

Last year, a man impregnated his girlfriend's 10-year-old daughter after gaining the family's trust. Nicholas Thrash, who molested the young girl, was arrested and charged. The child’s mother was also arrested and charged with two counts of felony neglect of a dependent.