Cherokee County man convicted on 18 counts of child sex abuse
John David Elrod, 64, was convicted by a Cherokee County jury on 18 counts involving child sex abuse. (Credit: Cherokee County Sheriff's Office)
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. - A 64-year-old man faces sentencing after a Cherokee County jury found him guilty on 18 felony counts related to the multi-year sexual abuse of a child, according to the district attorney's office.
What we know:
John David Elrod, 64, was convicted on Thursday, Sept. 3, on 18 counts, including two counts of rape, six counts of aggravated child molestation, eight counts of child molestation, and two counts of first-degree cruelty to children, the district attorney's office said.
The Canton Police Department launched an investigation in August 2018 after a mother reported that her 9-year-old daughter disclosed being sexually abused by a family friend who had frequent contact with the child, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, a forensic interview revealed the sexual abuse began when the child was 6 years old and continued from 2015 through 2018 at two homes in Cherokee County.
During the four-day trial, the district attorney's office stated it presented six witnesses, including the victim, family members, child advocacy experts, and a medical expert in child abuse. Elrod testified in his own defense before the jury returned a verdict in under an hour.
What we don't know:
A sentencing date for Elrod has not yet been set by the court.
The Source: Information in this report was provided by an official press release from the Office of the District Attorney for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit.