Coweta County, Georgia (June 23rd, 2025) – The 5 year investigation and court battle against Matthew Ryan Morgan, 38, of LaGrange, has concluded with the defendant entering a negotiated Alford Plea with the state.
For more information, including details on the investigation, court case, and sentencing, please visit our full coverage for Matthew Ryan Morgan.
Investigation
In 2020, law enforcement was made aware by the victim and her mother, of an alleged sexual relationship that had occurred between Morgan and the victim between 2015 and 2017 while the victim was between the ages of 14 and 17.
The victim alleged that multiple criminal incidents occurred over the time period at a location within Coweta County while the victim, who is a relation of Morgan’s, babysat his children and otherwise at the location with the Defendant.
The investigation led the District Attorney’s Office to seek and indictment from the Grand Jury and on October 5, 2021, a 10 count indictment was returned against Morgan. The Court issued an Arrest Order for Morgan and on November 12, 2021, he was arrested and booked into the Coweta County Jail.
The Plea
Morgan’s negotiated plea, an Alford Plea, is a type of guilty plea in which the defendant maintains their innocence, however concedes that the prosecution has enough evidence to likely convict them.
eAs part of the plea deal Morgan plead guilty to the 3 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, the most serious of the 9 counts on which he faced in the case. The remaining counts were Nolle Pros, or effectively dropped, by the prosecution as part of the plea terms.
Sentencing
Morgan plead guilty to the following charges:
- Count 7 – Sexual Exploitation of Children ( O.C.G.A. § 16-12-100(b) ),
- Count 8 – Sexual Exploitation of Children ( O.C.G.A. § 16-12-100(b) ),
- Count 9 – Sexual Exploitation of Children ( O.C.G.A. § 16-12-100(b) ).
and was sentenced to the following by the Court for each count:
- Count 7 – 20 years, 5 years to serve in confinement.
- Count 8 – 10 years probation, consecutive ( directly following ) with Count 7.
- Count 9 – 20 years, 5 years to serve in confinement, concurrent ( at the same time as ) with Count 7.
- Credit for time served: 3 months, 2 weeks, 2 days total. 11/12/21 through 2/24/22 ( 3 months, 1 week, 6 days ) & 8/22/22 through 8/25/22 ( 3 Days ).
In total Morgan will serve:
- 4 years, 8 months, 1 week, 2 days in prison, adjusted for credited time-served, with a max expected release date of March 4, 2030.
- 25 years on probation or roughly through June 23, 2055.
Conditions of Probation
The following general and special conditions were placed on Morgan’s term of probation.
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Morgan was arrested at his June 23, 2025 court appearance and booked into the Coweta County Jail. He will remain there until he is transferred into the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections who will move him to a state prison to serve his sentence.