Gainesville, Ga. – A 37- year-old woman has been charged with child molestation for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy whom she married last week.
The Gainesville Times quoted unidentified members of the boy’s family as saying that Lisa Lynnette Clark is pregnant with the boy’s child and that they were married Nov. 8.
The boy’s grandmother, Judy Hayles, is the boy’s guardian. She had filed a complaint against Clark on Oct. 6.
Clark was arrested Wednesday and remained in custody Monday. District Attorney Lee Darragh said Georgia law says that a person under 16 legally cannot consent to a sexual act.
Hayles said the relationship had been going on for nearly two years. She said her grandson and Clark’s teenage son had been close friends and that the grandson spent many weekends at Clark’s home.
Probate Court Judge Jennifer Burt said in a statement that she reviewed the marriage application and applied the appropriate provisions under state law before issuing the license.
In Georgia, a person must be 18 to marry without parental consent or 16 to marry with parental consent. Georgia law contains an exemption to the age requirements if the couple have a child or the female is pregnant.
