Dewayne Howell sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexually abusing a 13-year-old

VALDOSTA, Ga. – A 50-year-old south Georgia man will spend nearly three decades in prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl after plying her with alcohol at a Valdosta hotel, federal prosecutors announced.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albany issued Friday said Dewayne Howell was convicted in February of coercion and enticement of minors in connection with the 2020 abuse. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

According to the press release, Howell and his brother, Laronce Howell, picked up the 13-year-old victim and her 16-year-old sister and “drove to a liquor store where Dewayne Howell purchased alcohol and then to a hotel in Valdosta where he rented a hotel room.”

“Dewayne Howell took (the 13-year-old victim) alone to the hotel room where he sexually abused her. Surveillance video from the hotel showed that Dewayne Howell then allowed Laronce Howell and (the victim’s sister) into the room. The adult men gave the children alcohol before eventually taking them back home,” the press release states.

There is no parole in the federal prison system, the U.S. Attorney’s Office noted. In addition to the 27-year sentence, Howell must register as a sex offender and serve 12 years of probation upon his release.

At the end of his prison sentence he would be 89 years old.

“Child molesters who target the most vulnerable members of our society will face harsh penalties in federal court,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a statement. “I want to thank the local law enforcement teams in the Valdosta community for helping us bring this defendant to justice for his crime.”

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