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A Georgia man accused of sexually abusing a teen girl when she was younger made his first appearance via remote technology on Monday in Mower County District Court.

Ronnie Robert Aldrich, 36, of Cedartown, Georgia, has been charged with four counts of felony first-degree criminal sexual conduct – penetration of child under 13 years of age.

According to the court complaint, a teenaged girl reported that she had been sexually abused by Aldrich, who was known to her, when she was between the ages of six and nine. She said the abuse occurred in Austin.

On May 14, a Mower County Human Services child protection worker met with the victim, who said because she was young when it occurred, she did not know it was sexual abuse and she thougt it was “normal.” She indicated the abuse occurred 5 to 10 times and that she told him to stop doing it when she was 9-years-old.

The victim said that Aldrich told her not to tell anybody about what he was doing.

The victim disclosed the abuse to three adults, one of whom indicated Aldrich had also previously sexually abused her.

Police spoke to a relative of the victim, who said she never suspected Aldrich was sexually abusing the victim. She said Aldrich denied the allegations when she confronted him about them.