Former janitors used Instagram to contact two middle school girls about sex, police say
A man and woman who worked at a Columbus middle school used Instagram to send nude photos to 12- and 13-year-old girls and to meet for a threesome, a police detective testified in Recorder’s Court Thursday.
Melvin Balkom, 39, and Gracie Graves, 32, pleaded not guilty to two counts each of possessing child pornography and enticing a child for indecent purposes. Despite a motion from their attorneys for a reasonable bond, Judge Julius Hunter ordered each held without bond in the Muscogee County Jail and bound all charges over to Muscogee Superior Court.
Hunter said the court is concerned about how easy it is to contact someone by cellphone. Both would have the opportunity to contact another child.
“You have a phone. You have access to the world,” Hunter said in denying bond.
Police detective Ron O’Neal of the Special Victims Unit, which includes sex crimes, said the mother of a 13-year-old became concerned about messages the middle school girl received on Instagram from the former janitor at her school. The mother found notes that he wanted to have sex with the girl.
The messages also asked the girl whether she had engaged in certain sexual activities.
O’Neal told the court that Graves, who is known as Grace Johnson and worked at the school, also contacted the girl on Instagram. She contacted the 12-year-old and sought a picture of her breasts.
After the mother sent a request to meet, Balkom said they could meet at the Circle K on Macon and Reese roads. The victim’s mother was now a police detective taking on that role.
Balkom and Graves arrived at the convenience store at 12:22 a.m. Sunday and were arrested. Graves, the driver, refused to talk with police at first but then said her ex-husband knew she was going to be at the gas station. She decided to stop there and fill up, O’Neal said.
Police seized two phones in the car but weren’t allowed access. O’Neal said police are in the process of trying to get into the cellphones.
Both suspects used Instagram to contact the girls, the detective said. “It was back and forth with them,” he said.
Assistant district attorney Matt Brown sought no bond because the suspects didn’t have a permanent home and would be a flight risk. They also have been accused of crimes in other states.
At the time of Balkom and Graves’ arrest, they no longer worked for SSC Services, a company that provides janitorial and other services to the Muscogee County School District. They resigned in October and the investigation started in early December, according to police.
This story was originally published December 13, 2018 at 5:59 PM.