The Atlanta Journal/Constitution, May 16, 1991

Former Clayton deputy faces additional sex charges

A former Clayton County deputy sheriff was charged with two counts of sexual battery Wednesday for allegedly fondling and spanking two boys he met as a Jonesboro church youth counselor.

Rory O'Connor, 26, who was charged May 8 with displaying a sexually explicit movie to a minor, also was charged with simple battery for the alleged spanking of a 13-year-old Jonesboro boy, Clayton Solicitor Keith Martin said. All four offenses are misdemeanors.

Mr. O'Connor is accused of taking an unidentified 15-year-old boy to his Jonesboro home in January and playing pornographic videotapes for him. The newest charge also alleges that he fondled the youth as he slept.

According to the solicitor, Mr, O'Connor met the boys when he was a counselor for the Royal Ambassadors of First Baptist Church of Jonesboro. The Royal Ambassadors is a Baptist youth organization run in churches throughout the state for boys in grade one through 12. The program sponsors field trips and other activities.

A spokeswoman for First Baptist Church of Jonesboro would not say how long Mr. O'Connor was a counselor, nor what his duties were.

"The church is not going to have a comment," the spokeswoman said. "That is a personal situation [Mr. O'Connor] will have to work out."

The Clayton COunty sheriff's department began an internal investigation of Mr. O'Connor after the deputy asked to join the department's youth program, which takes a Boy Scout troop and teaches "junior deputies" the basics of law enforcement.

"Rory said he was interested in working with kids," Chief Deputy Stanley Tuggle said. "But our captain [James Baker] had a bad feeling about it, so he started looking into things. It just grew after that."

Chief Tuggle said the alleged incidents did not take place during church outings and the department had never received any complaints about Mr, O'Connor befoer his arrest.

Mr. O'Connor is scheduled to be arraigned on the four misdemeanor charges June 10. The deputy, who was fired after his arrest May 8, faces up to one year in jail and a 5,000 fine for each offense, Mr. Martin said.