Kenton Russell

Name of Accused:
Russell, Kenton Wylie

Date of Arrest:
06/27/2024


Charges For Arrest:
SEXUAL BATTERY – MISDEMEANOR
Officer’s Narrative:
[Please note: The following is a direct transcription from the official initial incident report. The Georgia Gazette does not fix any spelling or grammatical errors that may exist. Any changes or redactions made by our staff are placed inside brackets. Some errors may exist. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The topics discussed may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.]
On Tuesday, May 21, 2024
, I, Investigator Brittney Ingram, 2682, of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office (BSC) — Violent Crimes Unit was informed of a sexual battery incident involving the victim, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and the suspect, Kent Russell. This incident occurred at the [REDACTED BY AGENCY]
On the same day, I spoke with [REDACTED BY AGENCY] who advised that he was currently conducting an internal investigation regarding Russell and allegations of sexual inappropriateness between himself and female members of the congregation. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] provided video surveillance and the information for [REDACTED BY AGENCY]
On Thursday, May 23, 2024
, at 0919 hours, I ed [REDACTED BY AGENCY] at her listed phone number [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and left a voicemail message detailing the reason for my call. Shortly after, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] returned my call, and I explained my role in this investigation. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] agreed to provide a sworn victim taped statement at my office on Wednesday, May 29, 2024
, at 1000. I sent a text message to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] confirming this meeting.
On Wednesday, May 29, 2024
, at 1005 hours, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] met with me at my office located at 111 Third Avenue, Macon, GA. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] advised the following during a sworn taped statement: She is a member of the [REDACTED BY AGENCY] On the incident date, she was standing in front a pew. Russell was standing on the stage as he is a part of the church choir. Russell approached her and hugged her. During the hug, Russell groped right breast with his left hand. Specifically, the palm of Russell’s hand cupped the underside of her breast. Russell told [REDACTED BY AGENCY] that she looked “fantastic.” [REDACTED BY AGENCY] demonstrated this during the interview.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] then attempted to create distance between herself and Russell by placing her hands up, palms facing him. Russell then pulled her to him hugging her, then whispered in her left ear that she looked fantastic a second time. Her friend and witness [REDACTED BY AGENCY] rushed over to her to ask if she was okay. [REDACTED BY AGENCY] confirmed what occurred and stated how uncomfortable she was.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] left the church and told her husband about what had just occurred. They met with the church leadership the following morning. The general consensus was that Russell had inappropriately interacted with adult women and minors and was asked to leave the congregation.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] revealed in the past that she was made uncomfortable by Russell because he was handsy and made inappropriate comments to other members of the congregation, specifically women and girls. She further advised the Russell is an intense person and it is common for him to violate her personal space. Kent was asked to not work with children in 2022 but remained a member until this incident. This interview was audio and video recorded and uploaded to Evidence.com.
On Thursday, May 30, 2024
, at 1004 hours, I met with [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and she advised the following via her witness statement: On the incident date, she was approximately six feet away from [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and Russell. She observed Russell walking up to [REDACTED BY AGENCY] whisper in [REDACTED BY AGENCY] ear, and the subsequent sexual battery. After the incident, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] asked [REDACTED BY AGENCY] if Russell had touched her “side b*ob” referring to her right breast. She described [REDACTED BY AGENCY] reaction as shocked.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] then ed the chair of deacons.
I then showed [REDACTED BY AGENCY] the video of the incident where she identified [REDACTED BY AGENCY] Russell and herself. The video shows exactly what was described by [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and [REDACTED BY AGENCY] This video was uploaded to Evidence.com.
[REDACTED BY AGENCY] further advised that Russell had been inappropriate with her and catcalled her and confronted him some time ago. This interview was audio recorded and uploaded to Evidence.com.
On Tuesday, June 18, 2024
, [REDACTED BY AGENCY] emailed me a copy of his internal investigation for my review. His findings were that of a consistent pattern of sexual inappropriateness between Russell and women and minors. A copy of this report was uploaded to this case file.
On Friday, June 21, 2024
, I authored an arrest warrant as Russell did commit the offense of sexual battery as he intentionally made physical with [REDACTED BY AGENCY] and the intimate parts of her body (breast) without her consent as stated in OCGA 16-6-22.1. This warrant was reviewed by Captain Shelly Rutherford and approved by the Honorable Judge Jerome Sinclair. On the same day, I notified Justin Edwards of the BSO Fugitive Unit of the pending warrant.
This case will be classified as WARRANTS SIGNED — PENDING ARREST.
[End of Narrative]