A new team in the Gwinnett County Solicitor General’s Office, which is the second largest in the state of Georgia, is working to better protect victims of so-called Romeo-and-Juliet relationships and other sensitive misdemeanor crimes.
Gwinnett Solicitor General Lisamarie Bristol said during a virtual interview that after taking office in 2023, she noticed in her staff’s caseload that sex-related crimes between 13- and 18-year-olds needed more attention.
“Those cases can be really delicate,” she said. “They can require a little extra sensitivity, time [and] resources.”
Georgia has recently started putting more emphasis on fighting crimes involving teens, so Bristol’s office created the special victims unit, comprised of assistant solicitor generals, investigators, victim advocates and trial assistants to be able to carefully and quickly resolve those cases. At its full capacity, there will be eight people on the team…