Bartow Man Takes Plea Deal, Prison Time, For Child Molestation Charge

CARTERSVILLE, GA — A Cartersville man alleged to have had a sexual relationship with a student while serving as band director at a Kennesaw private school was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison.

Craig Dean Godfrey, 39, struck a deal with prosecutors that led to him pleading guilty to one count of aggravated child molestation and two counts of sexual assault. Godfrey’s 12-year prison sentence will be followed by 13 years on probation, according to court records as reported by multiple media outlets.

Godfrey, 39, was first reported to authorities in January 2021 by North Cobb Christian Academy officials for having an “inappropriate relationship” with a former student.

Investigators soon discovered that Godfrey had been in a sexual relationship with the student from 2016 to 2019, according to Acworth police. The student, now an adult, was a sophomore at North Cobb Christian when the relationship began.

In addition to physical contact, investigators uncovered communication and explicit photos that were exchanged between Godfrey and the victim using a social media app, police said. According to arrest warrants, Godfrey and the student were alleged to have carried out sex acts multiple times while on campus.

Godfrey was indicted in August 2021 on counts of aggravated child molestation, sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a child, and obscene internet contact with a child.

Online records show that Dean was booked Monday into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center following his guilty plea. His most recent address before Monday is on Carrington Drive in Cartersville.

Godfrey graduated from Valdosta State University and previously worked at Rockmart High School in Polk County, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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