Charges Pile Up Against Watkinsville Man Accused of Child Molestation

An ongoing investigation into a report of child molestation last week in Oconee County has led to additional charges against a Watkinsville man.

The Sheriff's Office announced Thursday that John David Cooper, 44, is facing 34 counts of sexual exploitation of children along with the original charges of child molestation, sexual battery against a child, and electronically furnishing obscene material to minors.

"These charges result from images found on various electronic devices in his possession at the time of his arrest," Chief Deputy Lee Weems wrote in an email to Patch.  "We are still in the process of examining his devices.  More charges may be forthcoming."

Cooper was booked into the Oconee County Jail on Feb. 28, the same day the alleged abuse reportedly involving a teen girl over a six-year period was brought to the attention of authorities. He is being held without bond.

Sheriff Scott Berry told the Athens Banner-Herald last week that investigators seized a telephone and a computer owned by Cooper's employer, the Georgia Department of Labor.

Cooper, an information technology manager, has been suspended pending the investigation, GDOL Communications Director Sam Hall said.

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