Convicted Rapist Molested Kids Younger Than 10, Cherokee D.A. Says

CANTON, GA — A 25-year-old Canton man has been convicted of rape, as well as the molestation of multiple children younger than age 10, the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office said Friday.

A jury deliberated for four hours before finding Chandler Reid Cantrell guilty of rape, four counts of incest, three counts of aggravated child molestation and four counts of child molestation, prosecutors said. The four-day trial ended Thursday.

The allegations against Cantrell stemmed from August 2021, when a woman reported he molested her children, prosecutors said.

The children told forensic interviewers that Cantrell started sexually assaulting them when they were younger than 10-years-old and continued to do so for multiple years, prosecutors said. One of the children reported the abuse began when they were in kindergarten, prosecutors said.

Sentencing is scheduled for a later date.