Wednesday a Bainbridge man was arrested in Valdosta after a three-month long investigation by Decatur County Sheriff’s Office investigators concerning child abuse allegations.

Christopher Michael Conley, 32, was charged with three counts of cruelty to children – first degree and one count of child molestation after the investigation by DCSO investigator Cheryl Roberts and local Department of Family and Child Services staff.

The arrest was made by the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force and Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office deputies after it was determined Conley fled to Valdosta.

Cruelty to children in the first degree is defined as a parent or guardian “willfully deprives the child (under the age of 18) of necessary sustenance to the extent that the child’s health or well-being is jeopardized,” according to O.C.G.A. 16-5-70.