A Blackshear man has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for aggravated child molestation, child molestation, aggravated sexual battery, sexual battery on a child and sexual exploitation of children.
Caleb Austin Trusdell, 31, entered a guilty plea in Pierce County Superior Court last Monday, March 16.
As a condition of his plea, he will be required to serve 30 years before any possibility of parole. If he is ever paroled, Trusdell will be on probation for life and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Trusdell was facing trial on a 25-count indictment in the case. The state dismissed one count of rape as part of the plea agreement.
Judge Jeffrey H. Kight of the Waycross Judicial Circuit presided over the case.
Law enforcement sources told The Times the case was “one of the worst” instances of abuse he had investigated in his career.
Trusdell was arrested in connection to the case in November, 2024.
He is accused of multiple crimes against family members under the age of 12, beginning in 2018 and continuing until he was arrested in 2024. Trusdell also was in possession of multiple inappropriate images of minors at the time of his arrest.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Rocky L. Bridges and Mark Anthony of the Waycross Judicial Circuit.
Circuit District Attorney Marilyn Bennett would like to thank the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and Satilla Advocacy Services for their work on this case to bring justice in this case for the victims involved.
Blackshear defense attorney John R. Thigpen Jr. represented Trusdell.
