A Chattooga County jury has convicted 46‑year‑old Ricky Lamar Blackmon on seven felony counts involving the sexual abuse of a minor family member, concluding a three‑day trial before Chief Superior Court Judge Brian House. The charges included rape, incest, and multiple counts of child molestation.
According to evidence presented in court, the case began in February 2020 when the child disclosed to a friend’s mother that Blackmon had been touching her inappropriately. The disclosure was reported to the Department of Family and Children Services, which notified local law enforcement.
The child was later interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center by forensic interviewer Janet Burch. During that interview, she described repeated incidents of abuse beginning at age 12, including inappropriate touching and topless photographs. After undergoing therapy, she later revealed that Blackmon raped her when she was 13.
Investigator Wendell Flood of the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office testified that Blackmon denied the allegations during an interview. When detectives asked to search his phone, Blackmon claimed he had left it at work. He turned the device over approximately one month later, but investigators determined that all data had been deleted three days before it was surrendered.
Prosecutors also introduced text messages recovered from the victim’s phone in which she confronted Blackmon about the abuse. In those exchanges, he did not deny her statements and appeared to acknowledge them.
Following the guilty verdict, Judge House imposed a life sentence, ordering that the first 30 years be served in prison without the possibility of parole.
