INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A young woman stood tearfully before the courtroom to talk about the sexual abuse she and her younger sister endured at the hands of a man who she said should have represented safety. Instead, the man – George Frank Bollis Jr., whom they were in the care of as minors – became a person they both had to survive for several years.
“I was 9 years old…too young to understand but old enough to remember,” the now 20-year-old woman said as she held back tears in the courtroom. “He may have taken my innocence, but he did not take my voice.”
Circuit Court Judge Anastasia Norman on Thursday handed down multiple life prison terms for 78-year-old Bollis, who was accused of molesting two young girls several times from 2016 to 2018. Bollis was found guilty in April on six counts of lewd or lascivious molestation offender over 18 victim under 12 and two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation offender over 18 victim 12-to-16.
“He was sentenced to life on each count. The sentences run concurrently,” said Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman who prosecuted the case. Bollis was represented by defense attorneys Mark Longwell, Andrew Metcalf, and Michael Ufferman.
The judge listened attentively as one of the victims shared her request for Bollis to be locked away for the remainder of his life.
“He’s a child predator. I’m asking for the maximum sentence,” the young woman said before the judge read the sentencing. “What he did deserves the maximum consequence.”
Bollis, who was designated as a sexual predator by the judge, has 30 days to file an appeal. He will be given 111 days for credit time served.
Bollis, who wore a striped red-and-white jail uniform, stared coldly across the room during the sentencing at the Indian River County courthouse. He was fingerprinted and swabbed for DNA before being led out of the courtroom.
“A child’s innocence is one of the most valuable things a person can take,” Norman said. “…especially when the child’s innocence was taken by somebody who should be in a role to love and protect that child.”
Unhealing wound
The young woman and her sister contacted Indian River County sheriff’s deputies in May 2019 to report the sexual abuse, which led to Bollis’ arrest. Seven years later, the woman and her parents spoke in court about the molestation and how the illicit actions impacted the family.
“I was the target. My sister was the target,” the woman said. “(Bollis) made me feel powerless then. But I am not powerless now.”
The woman said she has post-traumatic stress disorder from the incidents that occurred at Bollis’ home and office. She described the abuse as a wound that followed her.
“I’m angry that, for so many years of my life, the abuse defined how I lived my day-to-day life,” the woman said.
The younger sister abused by Bollis, now 18 years old, was not present at the sentencing. A third sister, 14, spoke about how she could’ve easily been another one of Bollis’ victims.
“(Bollis) could’ve done the same thing to me that he did to my sisters. The sexual assault of my sisters doesn’t just affect them, it affects the whole family,” she said. “He’s a child molester and rapist. He’s traumatized my parents. He made my life a living nightmare.”
The mother of the victims said she hasn’t truly slept since 2018.
“I have nightmares of his disgusting body on top of theirs,” the mother said. “There’s no therapy that could make these visions go away.”
The mother said she took her daughters to therapy, filed police reports, confided in priests and consulted school counselors. She said Bollis was a coward who preyed on vulnerable children.
“(Bollis) publicly professed his Christianity while privately becoming the devil personified,” the mother said. “I hope this haunts (Bollis) on his death bed.”
The father of the victims said he felt helpless after learning his daughters were sexually abused.
“I didn’t keep them safe,” the father said. “I wish I never met (Bollis) or his enablers.”
‘There’s always hope’
The victims’ family said they feel exhausted but relieved that Bollis received life in prison. The father said people who speak up can eventually have others held accountable for their actions.
“It’s hard to think about how to undo the damage that’s been done but at least there is accountability,” the father of the two women said. “The state acknowledged this was a serious enough crime that warrants that kind of sentence.”
The mother of the victims said she’s grateful for the attorneys, victims’ advocates and Kelsey Zorc, a former Indian River County sheriff’s detective who originally led the case.
“We desperately hope this gives other victims a little bit of hope,” the mother said. “It’s a gut-wrenching process, but there’s hope. There’s always hope and there are people who will be on your side.”
Zorc said she’s been patiently waiting for the case to go to trial. She said the family means everything to her. Even though Zorc led the investigation, she said the family are the ones who are ‘absolute heroes.’
“My heart goes out to them. I wanted to be here for them,” Zorc said. “I chose to be here to stand in solidarity for them to know I have their backs.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis
