A 43-year-old Marietta man is wanted on an arrest warrant accusing him of enticing a child under the age of 16 to get under the covers of a bed inside his rented room at a South Cobb Drive motel. Naquan James Riddick is accused of luring the child at around 2 a.m. on July 17 inside a room at Cumberland Lodge, located at 835 S. Cobb Drive in Marietta.
The Cobb County Police Department issued the arrest warrant against Riddick, according to the warrant itself, as reported by the Marietta Daily Journal. Riddick is pictured in the report. The outlet's account does not specify the relationship, if any, between Riddick and the child, nor whether he has been booked into custody.
What Georgia Law Says About the Charge
If convicted, Riddick would face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 30 years in prison under Georgia's child enticement statute, according to J. Ryan Brown Law. The same law firm's analysis notes that Georgia treats child enticement severely, pairing the lengthy prison exposure with lifetime sex offender registration upon conviction. Under Georgia Code § 16-6-5(d)(2), anyone previously convicted of a sexual felony who is then convicted of enticing a child faces mandatory life imprisonment or a split sentence followed by lifetime probation, according to Justia Law. It remains unknown whether that enhancement applies in Riddick's case.
The statute excerpt cited above does not address sex-offender-registry administration. Requirements for reporting a change of residence are not addressed here. The available material does not establish how many registered sex offenders are tracked in Cobb County or statewide, or how Cobb County sex-offender records are shared or where they are kept.
A Motel With a Violent Past
Cumberland Lodge has drawn police attention over the years. In February 2023, Cobb County Police responded to a fatal shooting inside Room 210 at the motel, arresting a 28-year-old suspect after police said the shooting stemmed from a dispute between two acquaintances. Earlier, 30-year-old Shawn Moore was fatally shot in an upstairs room at the same property, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reported that acquaintances transported Moore to a hospital, where he later died.
How Child Abuse Cases Move Through Cobb County
Child abuse and exploitation cases in Cobb County are typically routed through SafePath Children's Advocacy Center, an accredited Marietta nonprofit that has operated since 1995 and conducts forensic interviews designed to minimize re-traumatization of underage victims, according to Cobb In Focus. The organization coordinates law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and child protective staff within a single facility. SafePath's involvement in this particular case has not been established.
If Riddick is booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center on the arrest warrant, the available material does not establish the timing or procedure for an initial bond appearance. Whether Riddick is currently in custody, and whether bond has been set, remains unclear.
Case Fits a Pattern of Recent Cobb County Prosecutions
The allegations against Riddick arrive amid a string of child abuse and exploitation cases moving through Cobb County courts this year. Hoodline reported earlier this month that a Marietta teen was held without bond in a rape case tied to an East Cobb home, while a Cobb County man was sentenced last month to life without parole plus 490 years for abusing an infant. In June, a Marietta man known as “Uncle J” received 30 years for molesting a child he babysat, and a Roswell man was jailed after being accused of sexually exploiting underage girls.
Statewide, the broader crime picture has been discussed, including by FOX 5 Atlanta, but the available material does not establish whether violent or property crime declined in Georgia in 2024. The warrant against Riddick remains an accusation, and the allegations have not been tested in court.
