Ex-Gwinnett Deputy Arrested On Child Molestation Charges

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A now-former Gwinnett County deputy has been arrested on child molestation charges after police say "elicit messages" from him were found on a teenage girl's phone.

The news was announced on Friday by both Gwinnett County Police and the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office.

They say Rylee Willis, 21, of Stone Mountain, was arrested Thursday by GCPD's Special Victims Unit.

This was after a parent on Wednesday located the messages on a phone belonging to her daughter, who is younger than age 16, police said.

Authorities said Willis was a probationary employee at the sheriff's office. Sworn and non-sworn workers in the department must complete a two-year probationary period upon being hired before becoming a permanent staff member.

"The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and accountability," authorities said in a news release.

Willis was arrested on two counts of child molestation and two counts of enticing a child for indecent purposes, authorities said.

He is no longer employed with the sheriff's office and is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail, authorities said.