NEWTON COUNTY – Newton County woman Nora Rodgers has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on child cruelty charges, according to a Facebook post from the official Newton County District Attorney’s office.

The post stated that Rodgers inflicted “physical, mental and emotional abuse” on three children.

Officers were first notified of the abuse on Oct. 4, 2020 when a relative checked on the children. All three children suffered numerous injuries, with one of them suffering internal injuries that required treatment from the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s trauma team.

Despite previous warnings from the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), the subsequent investigation found that the children had suffered torture over the years in the form of bootcamp exercises. When the children would not perform the exercises to Rodgers’ liking she would “beat them,” according to the DA’s Facebook post.

Additionally, Rodgers was also found to have underfed the children, with all three being malnourished.

On Oct. 9, Rodgers pled guilty to nine counts of cruelty to children in the first degree and was sentenced on Dec. 12 to 60 years of probation, with the first 30 in prison.

Prosecution in this case was led by Deputy Chief ADA Bailey Wilkinson, Senior ADA Alex Stone, chief investigator Kelly Whire, senior victim advocate Shay Payne and legal assistant Sheila Cornelius. 

The investigation and arrest was handled by the Newton County Sheriff's Office.

“The dedicated work of the prosecution team led to a result that guarantees that the victims will be well into adulthood before Rodgers gets out of prison,” said District Attorney Randy McGinley. “The DA’s Office sought justice for the victims but also that Rodgers would be in prison long enough that she could not harm these children or any other children. The prosecutors' hard work led to a guilty plea with an appropriate sentence without the children having to testify at length and relive the abuse they faced.” 

McGinley also thanked those who put the children first in this case.

“A special thanks goes to the foster parents who cared for the children after their abuse and family of the children who reported the abuse,” McGinley said. “While Rodgers put herself above the well-being of the kids, so many others fought for them.”