Paulding County investigators searching for more possible victims of accused serial rapist
Investigators in Paulding County are searching for more possible victims of a man authorities are calling a serial rapist.
Investigators say 53-year-old Bobby Lee Hart Jr. changed his look, the name he went by, and his location so many times in two decades that it made it difficult for them to connect the dots.
So far, the agency says they've confirmed more than 25 potential victims in cases going back to 1988.
According to the sheriff's office, the assaults happened along the Highway 92 corridor in Cobb, Douglas, and Paulding counties.
During a press release on Wednesday, Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson and District Attorney Robert S. Lane said they began investigating a case that occurred around Hiram in 2012 that may be connected with Hart, though no charges have been filed in that case. They also asked anyone who may know Hart or believe they were a victim to come forward.
Lane said that Hart would target women in vulnerable situations, offer them a ride or other assistance, get them to a secluded location, and assault them. In the Hiram case, the victim told authorities that Hart had offered her a ride in Douglas County, drove to Paulding County, and assaulted her, he said.
The district attorney said that the victims in the case often allegedly encountered Hart at random, making it difficult for them to get anything more than a physical description. Lane said that Hart also went by the aliases "Meat King" and "Champ."
Hart was taken into custody in Douglas County in 2025; he was later transferred to the Cobb County Jail, where he is being held without bond. He's now charged with felony assault, false imprisonment, and rape.
Investigators say that anyone who believes they may have been a victim of a sexual assault committed by Hart to contact the Paulding County District Attorney's Office's victim advocate at (770) 443-7561. Victims can also call the Family Violence Crisis Hotline and Emergency Shelter at (770) 479-1703.
