Mar. 17—An Austell man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to burglarizing two homes and molesting a young girl in one of them, the Cobb District Attorney's Office said.

Cobb Superior Court Judge Robert Flournoy accepted a plea deal that will see Malik Antonio Rollins, 29, serve two decades without the possibility of parole, to be followed by 20 years probation, the DA's office said.

Rollins will also be required to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said, after he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, one count of aggravated child molestation and two counts of child molestation.

According to prosecutors, around 2 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2021, Cobb police responded to a burglary call at the Chroma Park apartments, located off the East-West Connector in south Cobb. A resident awoke to the sound of her bedroom door opening and screamed, scaring the intruder away. Rollins reportedly stole two tablets and was captured on Ring video cameras.

Two hours later, at a nearby complex, another burglary was reported when a man woke up around 4 a.m. and noticed his son's gaming console was missing, and his patio door was open, prosecutors said. The man then noticed the light was on in his child's bedroom.

He walked into the room and found a partially naked man sleeping next to his then 12-year-old stepdaughter. The girl mouthed "help me," prosecutors said, and the stepfather retrieved a kitchen knife before removing the man from their home.

Police were called and the girl was taken to the hospital. She disclosed the man in her bed had molested her, the DA's office said. Police later that day tracked one of the stolen tablets to an apartment, also at Chroma Park, where they met Rollins' mother, and confirmed his identity. Rollins was arrested, and police found the stolen items and the clothes he had been wearing during the burglaries in his mother's home.

At the plea, the victim's mother spoke on her behalf and how the crime affected her, the DA's office said.

"The strength of this young lady to stand up to this defendant and take charge of her healing is courageous. Her family has built a strong foundation to support her moving forward," said Assistant District Attorney Kristen Judd, who prosecuted Rollins. "The Cobb County Police Department and Sgt. Lindsay Mack should be commended for their hard work and investigation on this case. Without their tremendous efforts, Mr. Rollins would not have been brought to justice today."

Lawyer Reid Thompson represented Rollins at the plea.