Ringgold Man Sentenced To 55 Years In Prison On Child Molestation Charges

A 36-year-old Ringgold man was sentenced to consecutive life sentences after molesting two very young family members over an extended period of time.

According to information from the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office:

Prosecutors say that, between both cases, Christopher Bean will have to serve 55 years in prison, at the end of which he will be 91 years old.

The case was presented by Assistant District Attorney David Wolfe with the assistance of Victim Witness Advocate Ashely Nicholson and District Attorney’s Office Investigator Eric Sliz.

Bean originally pleaded guilty in March to molesting a very young developmentally delayed family member over a five year period of time.

In that case he pleaded guilty to aggravated child molestation, among other charges, and was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison and a life term on probation.

However, he also had another pending charge, regarding another family member. After a three day trial, a jury found him guilty of aggravated sexual battery and enticing a child for an indecent purpose, among other charges.

The jury took less than an hour to deliberate before handing down the conviction.

On April 26, Superior Court Judge Brian House sentenced Bean to serve an additional 30 years in prison and an additional lifetime on probation. The sentences, run consecutively, are a total of 55 years in prison and two life terms on probation.

Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office Detective Brittany Gilleland investigated the case, and the children in both cases were interviewed by Holly Kittle, senior forensic interviewer from the Children’s Advocacy Center in Fort Oglethorpe.