He was convicted of child molestation. Now he’s been banished from the county
A Houston County jury on Tuesday convicted a man on child molestation charges for committing a lewd act during a kids’ birthday party.
Christopher Neal Waters, 40, was convicted of child molestation and sentenced to 30 years with 13 of those years to be served in prison.
In addition to the conviction, Waters was also banished from Houston County.
Because Waters has a prior conviction for child molestation, the maximum he could have received was life in prison.
The charge in the case stems from an incident that occurred in August 2022.
The defendant was at a child’s birthday party but was sent home when he was seen masturbating at the party, according to court documents.
Waters returned to his house where an 8-year-old child also lived. While the two were alone at the house, the defendant exposed himself to the child and masturbated in the child’s presence.
Assistant District Attorney Justin C. Duane, who prosecuted the case along with Sandra G. Matson, said he was pleased with the jury’s decision.
“We are pleased that a jury of his peers held the defendant accountable. This case demonstrates the various forms of sexual abuse that exist,” he said. “I would like to remind people that child sexual abuse doesn’t just have many forms but is also incredibly common.”
“Now that this case is over, I am glad that the child and the child’s family can move on from this,” Duane said.
In addition to the conviction, Waters was also banished from Houston County.
District Attorney William Kendall said Houston County often asks for the banishment condition when a defendant has no legitimate ties to the county, but the victim and victim’s family do.
“It’s just an added form of protection to our victims,” he said.
Waters had been previously convicted of child molestation in 2011 in Dooly County. He still has pending charges in Houston County for failure to register as a sex offender.
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 1:20 PM.