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Fort Valley State sex scandal suspects surrender themselves to police

At least six of the seven suspects in the Fort Valley State investigation have turned themselves in to police.

At least six of the seven suspects charged in the Fort Valley State sex scandal investigation have turned themselves in.

13WMAZ has learned that for one of them, it wasn't his first sex crime charge.

Records from the Taylor County sheriff's office show that 26-year-old Devonte Little was arrested in April and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.

Taylor County Sheriff Jeff Watson says the alleged assaults happened at the Georgia Center for Youth Home.

The victim, he says, was a 16-year-old girl.

Watson says Little was processed and released on bond on those charges.

Little is also facing a solicitation and pandering charge connected to the Fort Valley State investigation. Peach County sheriff Terry Deese said Little turned himself in to police Tuesday and was released on bond for those charges.

Five other suspects in the Fort Valley State case also turned themselves in to police on Monday and Tuesday, according to Deese.

Four are charged with pandering and solicitation of sodomy stemming from incidents in 2017 and 2018. They are as follows:

--Kenneth Howard, the Hinesville city manager.

--Ryan Jenkins, of Albany

--Charles Jones, the former Director of Government and Corporate Relations at FVSU and former FVSU Chief Legal Officer

--Arthur James Nance, the vice chairman of the Crisp County commission

The sixth suspect who turned herself in is Alecia Johnson, the former executive assistant to the FVSU school president. Johnson is charged with 6 counts of pimping on allegations she provided a prostitute to the six men. She also faces 6 counts of prostitution on allegations that she herself performed sexual acts for money or other items, and one count of conspiracy to commit fiduciary theft on allegations she conspired to take a student’s scholarship money in October 2015.

All of them, Deese says, were processed and then released on bond.

The seventh suspect, Ernest Harvey, had not yet turned himself in as of 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. Harvey is an assistant principal in the Houston County school district, according to district spokesperson Beth McLaughlin. Harvey is charged with pandering and solicitation of sodomy.

Fort Valley State released a statement to 13WMAZ last week that said, in part, "While we cannot comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, we expect anyone who has compromised the trust of our students to be held accountable with all deliberate speed."

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