Ga. city councilman resigns after accusations of child sex abuse
DEKALB COUNTY, GA -- A Roswell city councilman has resigned following accusations of sexual acts with a minor, CBS affiliate WGCL reports.
Kent Igleheart is accused of sexual exploitation of a child, enticing a child for indecent purposes and furnishing alcohol to a minor. Authorities say he maintained a four-year relationship with a girl beginning when she was 13.
The 53-year-old was booked into the DeKalb County Jail after being arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of children, enticing a child for indecent purposes and providing alcohol to an underage minor.
“These crimes against children will not be tolerated and this is a very serious accusation,” DeKalb County Police Major Stephen Fore said.
In addition to allegedly providing alcohol to a minor, an arrest warrant says Igleheart had nude photos of his 13-year-old victim and had reportedly enticed the child to send him nude photos using the social media chat app Kik.
Police told WGCL the relationship went on for 4 years and in October the now 17-year-old girl involved reported the inappropriate relationship to authorities.
“Our ICAC, which is the Internet Crimes Against Children, they set up a sting with the individual. He thought he was coming here to meet the 17-year-old victim and in that meeting he brought alcohol to provide to her,” Fore said.
Igleheart was taken into custody during the sting operation.
At a hotel named in Igleheart’s arrest affidavit, the manager said police arrived and obtained surveillance video which apparently shows the councilman arriving at the hotel several times with females.
He was first elected in 2001.
The site also says Igleheart is an actor, writer, producer and voice-over artist who has appeared in over 60 films, television shows, commercials and corporate training videos. He also appeared in Georgia Trend magazine’s “40 Under 40”.
Igleheart was given a $30,000 bond and told not to have contact with the young girl. He was bonded out Monday, October 31.