Prosecutors lost a Child Molestation case in Effingham County last week, almost three years after the man charged was initially arrested. The defendant subsequently spent 295 days in jail.
Rincon Police arrested Kyle Arkenian Ames on two counts of Child Molestation and two counts of Sodomy in August 2021 stemming from incidents that were alleged to have occurred in 2015 and 2016.
The District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury the following month and indicted Ames on more egregious charges: two counts of Aggravated Child Molestation, two counts of Aggravated Sodomy, and two counts of Cruelty to Children.
A Magistrate judge denied Ames’ request for bond and prosecutors continued to oppose bond as Ames awaited further court action.
In May of 2022, Judge Lovett Bennett Jr. set bond for Ames, requiring that he wear an ankle monitor and partake in a psychosexual evaluation. He was also banished from Effingham County and prohibited from frequenting churches, schools, and parks. Ames posted bond in June 2022.
Nearly two more years passed and the case was passed off to a third prosecutor before an Effingham County jury acquitted Ames following a two day trial on May 1-2.
The case was prosecuted by ADA Casey Blount and ADA J.B. Edwards after being transferred from ADA Brian Deal to ADA Matt Breedon.
Ames was represented by Rincon attorney Craig Bonnell.
