A Macon man has been arrested on a rape charge after a two-month investigation into an alleged sexual assault behind a Domino's Pizza on Hartley Bridge Road. Justin Preston Henderson, of 2140 Ingleside Avenue, was taken into custody on September 29 and booked into the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center, following a report that he assaulted a coworker outside the store after her shift in early July.
According to mymcr.net, the alleged victim told investigators she worked with Henderson at the Domino's located in Suite 120 at 4319 Hartley Bridge Road, a commercial strip near Interstate 75 in south Bibb County. She said that on the night of July 4, around 10 p.m., she was waiting outside behind the business for a ride home when Henderson forced her to the ground, removed her pants, and sexually assaulted her despite her repeatedly telling him to stop, the outlet reports. She also told investigators Henderson remarked afterward that he wanted a second encounter, according to the same account.
The report further states that the woman described a pattern of unwanted contact from Henderson in the two weeks leading up to the alleged assault, including incidents where he poked her side and grabbed her buttocks while the two were at work. She reported the assault to Bibb County Deputy Elijah White after arriving at Piedmont Hospital shortly after midnight on July 5, per the mymcr.net account.
From the Emergency Room to a Safe House
At the hospital, the woman reported pelvic pain to medical staff, who then took her to a safe crisis house for a forensic examination, the outlet notes. That facility appears to be run by Crisis Line & Safe House of Central Georgia, which operates two 24-hour sexual assault centers staffed by specialized nurses and advocates serving Bibb County and six surrounding counties. The organization also anchors One Safe Place Macon, a family justice center built to co-locate law enforcement, legal aid, and crisis services for survivors in one location, according to Mercer University's Den.
The hospital where the woman first sought care, Piedmont Macon Medical Center at 350 Hospital Drive, is a 310-bed acute care facility with a 24-hour emergency department and women's health services, according to Piedmont Healthcare. The hospital was formerly known as Coliseum Medical Centers before integrating into the Piedmont system in 2021.
How the Evidence Moves Through the System
Safe house staff collected evidence and submitted it to the crime lab, per the mymcr.net report. Under Georgia law, the costs of that forensic exam and evidence collection fall to the state rather than the victim: the Georgia Crime Victims Emergency Fund is required to cover medical examinations and evidence collection in rape cases, according to Justia Law's summary of Georgia Code § 16-6-1(c) and Chapter 15 of Title 17. From there, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab processes submitted sexual assault kits through automated DNA screening and logs each kit into the state's mandatory tracking system, per Police Magazine.
The case was investigated by the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, which handles criminal cases through its Criminal Investigation Division and keeps central records operations at 111 Third Street, according to the agency. Two months after the July report, the investigation concluded with Henderson's arrest and booking into the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center, the downtown jail that houses city and county inmates. Macon-Bibb County commissioners approved a $2.1 million architectural design contract last September for additions to that facility, per The Macon Newsroom.
What Henderson Could Face
Rape is classified under Georgia law as one of the state's “Seven Deadly Sins” serious violent felonies, a designation that triggers mandatory minimum sentencing without the possibility of early parole, according to FindLaw's summary of O.C.G.A. § 17-10-6.1. Under Georgia Code § 16-6-1, a rape conviction carries potential sentences ranging from a split sentence of at least 25 years in prison followed by life on probation, up to life imprisonment or life without parole.
It remains unclear whether a Bibb County grand jury has taken up the case, whether any prior workplace complaints were filed with Domino's corporate or store management regarding Henderson's conduct, or what his current bail status is.
