Former South Georiga Attorney Sentenced to Prison for Violating Probation

Photo byBCSO

Franklin David McCrea, a 57-year-old former attorney from Alma, who pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation of children in 2021, is now heading to prison after allegedly violating his probation conditions. According to court documents, McCrea was found in possession of sexually explicit images of minor females in March 2024.

McCrea, a former attorney who also previously served as the attorney for the Bacon County Development Authority and the solicitor for the State Court in Alma, was arrested in May 2017 by the Criminal Investigative Division and Crime Suppression Unit on charges related to computer pornography and child exploitation. The arrest followed a search warrant at McCrea's law office, where several computers were seized for forensic evaluation.

Court documents show that McCrea was released on a $10,000 bond in September 2017.

However, in March 2019, a grand jury in Bacon County indicted McCrea on more than 25 counts of sexual exploitation of children. Copies of the indictments stated that numerous explicit images of minors were discovered on his computer and tablet.

Following the indictment, McCrea was then taken back into custody and granted a $135,000 bond in October 2021.

In August 2021, McCrea pleaded guilty as a First Offender to two counts of criminal attempt to commit sexual exploitation, with counts 1-3 and 7-28 of sexual exploitation of children not prosecuted as a result of the plea. McCrea was sentenced to a total of seven years, with the first 2 and 1 day to be served in confinement and the remainder to be served on probation.

Officials in the Waycross Judicial Circuit recused themselves at the beginning of the case, with a sitting judge, John R. Turner, presiding over the case.

In March 2024, a probation warrant was issued for McCrea, in addition to a petition for adjudication of guilt in his case after he was said to have been found with more explicit images of minors in his possession.

According to a copy of the petition, on March 20, 2024, McCrea was found to have accessed explicit images of minors from the chatroom "Literotica." He also allegedly engaged in a conversation with another account that sent him four digital images of minors and that he engaged in conversations about various sex acts they would like to perform on the subjects of the images. The petition also states that McCrea was browsing the internet in "Incognito Mode," thereby hiding his internet activity from the view of the Community Supervision Officer.

On July 10, Judge Turner ordered that McCrea be adjudicated guilty and sentenced to 15 years, with five of those to be served in prison.

Attributions: All information was obtained through court documents filed in the Superior Court of Bacon County.