Dalton police arrest man on child molestation charges

Dalton police arrested a man on charges of child molestation Friday.

The charges came after at least one of two girls told a local school counselor that 32-year-old Jeffrey Alan Despain had touched the two girls inappropriately, police spokesman Bruce Frazier said. It's unclear exactly when the crime allegedly happened, though investigators believe it occurred between one and two years ago.

Police charged Despair with child molestation, cruelty to children and sexual battery against a person under the age of 16. Frazier said Despain did not have intercourse with the children.

At the time, the girls were about 7 and 10 years old. Frazier said they "were known" to Despain, though he declined to say specifically whether they are related to protect the identity of the children. He said a counselor learned about the allegations and the girls' parents, who then reported it to the police department.

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