WORTH COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — A man from Worth County has been sentenced for kidnapping, aggravated assault, criminal damage to property, and cruelty to animals.

Worth County District Attorney Patrick Warren said on Sept. 23 that Robert Christopher Martin, 45, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, with the first 12 in the Department of Corrections, after he pleaded guilty on the first day of jury trials in the Superior Court of Worth County.

Martin pleaded guilty Aug. 24 in two separate cases.

Abuse case

Warren says in February of 2024, Martin and his then girlfriend started arguing at a home in Dougherty County. Martin and the woman got into a car to head back to Martin’s home in Worth County. During the drive, the DA says Martin handcuffed the woman to a handle inside the car and held a gun to her head.

The woman was able to call 911, but Martin hung up the phone. Officials say the woman was then able to call a friend of hers and drop the phone so Martin couldn’t reach it. The friend was able to record the interaction, in which Martin told the woman he would kill her.

After getting into Worth County, the woman was released and was able to get away from the house in the car. Officials say there were multiple guns in the car belonging to Martin.

Animal cruelty case

In April of 2026, the DA says Martin set fire to a trailer he owned in Worth County that a woman was living in. The woman was in the process of moving out and had left her belongings, including her clothes and disabled child’s electric wheelchair, inside the trailer. All of this was destroyed in the fire, the DA says.

Additionally, there were 15 pets in side the trailer (two cats and 13 dogs), all of whom died in the fire, the DA reports.

“This conviction holds the defendant accountable for a series of deeply troubling crimes. The kidnapping caused profound harm to the victim, while the cruelty inflicted on the animals demonstrated a disturbing disregard for life and basic responsibility. We are grateful to the investigators, witnesses, and everyone who helped to bring this case to justice. Specifically, I want to thank the Worth County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office Investigator Jacob Teter, who worked tirelessly to make sure that justice in this case was properly served,” Warren said.

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