TAZEWELL, Va. — A Georgia man has been convicted in Tazewell County Circuit Court of two counts of forcible sodomization of a child, the Commonwealth Attorney announced Friday.
Jason Aaron Bard, 42, of Sunny Side, Georgia, was sentenced May 25 in Tazewell County Circuit Court to 60 years in prison for two counts of forcibly sodomizing a child, according to Tazewell County Attorney J. Christopher Plaster Commonwealth. Bard was found guilty by the Honorable Jack S. Hurley after a day-long trial at which Commonwealth evidence was presented.
Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Kati Asbury presented the court with evidence detailing how BARD bullied a 13-year-old child he befriended years ago in Georgia. Asbury produced testimony from multiple witnesses, including law enforcement, the victim and the defendant’s ex-wife, who supported the Commonwealth’s case against Bard.
The defendant testified on his own behalf, alleging that the victim fabricated the story. Ultimately, the court found the victim’s testimony credible and found the defendant guilty of two counts of forcible sodomy, Plaster said.
Asbury pleaded for a life sentence due to the victim’s extensive trauma and the defendant’s lack of remorse for his actions. After hearing the arguments and examining the evidence, the court imposed an active prison sentence of 60 years.
“I would like to thank the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, the CARE Center of Southwest Virginia and the Tazewell County Department of Social Services for all their hard work and cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case,” Plaster said. “I would also like to thank my Deputy Commonwealth Counsel, Kati Asbury, for putting her heart and soul into this, as in all of her cases, to seek justice for the victims of these horrific crimes.”
“I would also like to thank Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Phillip Foy and the Tazewell County victim/witness for their assistance in this case,” added Plaster.
The Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office is investigating Bard’s case. Deputy Commonwealth Attorneys Kati Asbury and Phillip Foy prosecuted this case.
– Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/GCNITBUQFJNLZL6GEXJC4UJVAM.jpg "Cut up Georgia Court docket Says FedEx Is Not Accountable For Warehouse Shootings")
