The Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office has secured jury convictions in two separate child cruelty cases, holding accountable adults who were entrusted with the care of young children and instead subjected them to abuse.
State of Georgia v. Willie Clyde Brown, Jr.
On May 12, 2026, a Bibb County jury convicted 35- year-old Willie Clyde Brown, Jr. of Cruelty to Children in the Second Degree for beating a one-year-old child with a belt. Brown had been entrusted to care for the child and her siblings while their mother worked.
A bruise on the toddler’s inner thigh was discovered by staff at the child’s daycare center, who promptly contacted the Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) and law enforcement. Brown admitted the abuse in text messages and again on the witness stand, though he attempted to minimize the severity of his actions.
The jury rejected his account. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of 10 years to serve. The court sentenced Brown to 10 years, with credit for time served.
State of Georgia v. Carnethia Elaine Dunham-Vickers
On May 20, 2026, a Bibb County jury convicted 67-year-old Carnethia Elaine Dunham-Vickers of Cruelty to Children in the First Degree for the repeated beating of a six-year-old child in her foster care.
In June 2021, staff at daycare discovered severe bruising across the child’s arms and body, including multiple overlapping belt wounds on her lower back. Dunham-Vickers, a former longtime member of the Bibb County Board of Education and Bibb County schoolteacher, denied the abuse at trial but on cross-examination admitted the injuries were excessive and cruel.
The brave child, who is 11 years old now, testified against her abuser. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of 20 years, serve 10 years in confinement. The court sentenced Dunham-Vickers to 20 years, with five years to serve and then suspended her sentence.
“In this jurisdiction, you cannot abuse children in your care and walk away without consequences,” said Anita Howard, Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney. “Although last month was National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we focus on protecting children 365 days a year.”
District Attorney Howard credited the courage of the child victims, the diligence of daycare workers who reported what they saw, and the work of law enforcement and DFCS investigators whose thorough investigations assisted with these cases being brought to trial.