“In my 37 years as a prosecutor, this is singularly the most disturbing case of child sexual assault that I have ever tried,” were the words of Morgan County Chief Assistant District Attorney Paul Matthews regarding the sentencing of a former Morgan County man Tuesday. 

Michael William Lesher, 53, of Carrollton, Ga. was living in Morgan County with his wife Lisa more than a decade ago when he played a role in raping, sodomizing and sexually abusing two of his own children. Lesher was sentenced to 438 years in prison Tuesday afternoon.

Anderson said he is pleased with the sentence, noting that the conviction and sentence give some measure of closure to the victims, who were believed by some in law enforcement to be too young to testify when the incidents were first reported.

“Seeking justice for these victims became the goal of the Morgan County District Attorney’s office,” Anderson said. “They have waited far too long for their day in court, and I am glad that we were finally able to give them the opportunity to tell about the abuse that they suffered at the hands of their father.”

A Morgan County jury convicted Lesher March 29 after a trial that lasted only four days. The jury returned guilty verdicts on two counts of rape in the first degree, two counts of sodomy in the first degree and two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree as well as one count of incest. Judge Stephen F. Brown handed down Lesher’s sentence Tuesday afternoon in Decatur.

Lisa Lesher, who prosecutors say was an accomplice to her husband’s crimes, remains in custody pending trial.