Former Cobb Wrestling Coach Pleads Guilty To Child Sex Abuse

MARIETTA, GA -- A former volunteer wrestling coach has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child in Cobb. On Tuesday, Ronald Gorman, 53, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated child molestation for acts he perpetrated on a 14-year-old boy in July 2010 at Gorman’s home in Marietta. Gorman, who moved to Georgia from Pennsylvania, had arranged for the child to visit him in Marietta that summer. The victim disclosed the abuse to Pennsylvania authorities in May 2017.

Pennsylvania charged Gorman with molesting two boys, including the one who was also molested in Georgia. As cases proceeded in both states, prosecutors in the Monroe County, Pa., District Attorney’s Office requested assistance from Cobb prosecutors in negotiating both cases together, to save the victims from having to testify and relive the abuse.

Deputy Chief ADA Chuck Boring, who heads the special victims unit in the Cobb DA’s office, prosecuted this case.

“This is a prime example of how child predators can work their way into positions of trust and authority, and then turn that trust into a weapon against children. While there are no other acts for which he can be prosecuted in Cobb, there is no doubt there are other victims who have dealt quietly with their suffering at the hands of Gorman. In fact, the Pennsylvania investigation discovered a number of victims who had been abused by Gorman years before, and the statute of limitations had run such that their cases could not be prosecuted,” Boring said. “Hopefully this conclusion gives his victims some sort of closure and justice, whether they have reported his abuse or not.”

After accepting the plea, Cobb Superior Court Judge A. Gregory Poole sentenced Gorman to 25 years, with 20 years to serve in prison without parole. Gorman previously pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania and received a sentence there that will also require him to serve at least 20 years in prison; the sentences will run concurrently. He will be returned to Pennsylvania to serve his time there.

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Image Cobb County Sheriff