NEWTON COUNTY – A former deputy convicted of multiple child sex crimes had his sentence upheld in the Georgia Court of Appeals.

Daniel McGinnis, a former deputy with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO), was convicted back in 2017 on three total charges – aggravated child molestation, incest and child molestation, after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a juvenile victim in Newton County.

McGinnis was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole followed by life on probation.

The case was then forwarded to the Georgia Court of Appeals, where according to the Newton County District Attorney’s Office, McGinnis alleged “numerous trial errors” in his defense. 

The Georgia Court of Appeals, however, sided with the DA’s office, upholding his original sentence.

“None of his [McGinnis] claims on appeal have merit,” per the ruling.

The case was sent back to the trial court due to a numerical error on one of the child molestation charges. However, that will not affect McGinnis’ sentence.

The post-conviction portions of the case, including the appeal, was handled by District Attorney Randy McGinley. The original investigation was handled by the NCSO along with assistance from the Butts County Sheriff's Office.

McGinnis was initially arrested back in 2014 after a juvenile victim notified a school counselor of the misconduct that occurred on multiple occasions from 2006 to 2011.  

He was formerly employed by the NCSO from 2008 to 2011. At the time of his arrest, McGinnis was a deputy with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.