(Lawrenceville, Ga., 8/12/25) – A 43-year-old man was sentenced to life today after soliciting a teenage girl on social media and taking her to a Gwinnett County hotel to have sex.

Zachary Mitchell Allen pled guilty today to aggravated child molestation and sexual exploitation of children. He was sentenced to life with the first 25 years in prison. He also must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and have no contact with children.

“This defendant was a habitual abuser,” Gwinnett District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. “We are pleased with this sentence that will keep him away from having a negative impact on young people.”

Gwinnett County Police officers first encountered Allen in April 2023 on the social media application Whisper, where he solicited a 13-year-old girl for sex. Police arrested Allen and seized his cell phone.

Police obtained a search warrant and searched Allen’s cell phone, where they found numerous images of child pornography. Police also found a note Allen drafted in his cell phone where he detailed his sexual encounters.

One of those encounters was with a different teenaged girl. Police tracked down the girl and found out she was 14-year-old when she met Allen online. He then picked up the 14-year-old girl from a park in Dacula near her middle school and drove her to a hotel in Buford. Allen then engaged in various sexual encounters with the child.

Allen was scheduled to go to trial next week and decided to plead guilty.

The case was prosecuted by Managing Assistant District Attorney Megan Matteucci and the Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office Special Victims Unit. SVU Investigator Joseph Boyd and SVU Victim Advocates Rocio Pineda and Esther Askew assisted in closing the case.