A Peach County jury has delivered justice for a young woman who endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of a man who exploited his position of trust in her home. Clinton Wayne Yarbrough, 39, was found guilty Feb 2, 2026 of Child Molestation and Aggravated Child Molestation after prosecutors presented evidence of a calculated pattern of abuse that began when the victim was just 11 years old and escalated to sexual intercourse by the time she was 14.
Starting on Monday, January 26, the jury saw disturbing evidence spanning from August 2016 to December 2019. During that time, Yarbrough lived with the victim, her siblings, and her mother in what should have been a safe family environment.
According to prosecutors, Yarbrough began his abuse under the guise of play fighting, inappropriately touching the victim in her vaginal area. The abuse progressed to forcing the child to touch his genitals and ultimately to sexual intercourse when she was 14 years old.
Even after his relationship with the victim’s mother ended, Yarbrough continued to contact the victim through SnapChat. When the victim was 17, Yarbrough sent messages apologizing and claiming he had never loved her mother but was “actually in love with” the victim. This statement underscored the predatory nature of his actions. The victim courageously preserved those messages and other evidence, including a hair tie containing Yarbrough’s semen, and turned them over to the Byron Police Department.
“This brave young woman carried the weight of this abuse for years, and her courage in coming forward has ensured that her abuser will face the consequences of his heinous actions,” said District Attorney Anita Howard. “Yarbrough violated the trust of a family and targeted a vulnerable child in their own home. This verdict sends a clear message that we will prosecute child predators to the fullest extent of the law and fight for justice for every victim.”
Yarbrough faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Friday, February 18th at 1:00pm.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Taylor Wilson and Assistant District Attorney Hannah Frantz. The Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office commends the Byron Police Department for their thorough investigation and the victim for her extraordinary bravery throughout this process.
