CANTON, Ga. — A Cherokee County jury convicted a 64-year-old man of all 18 charges he faced involving sex crimes against a child, according to the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
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John David Elrod was found guilty Sept. 3 of 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 Canton Police Department began investigating in August 2018 after the mother of a 9-year-old girl reported that her daughter told her she had been sexually abused by a family friend who had frequent contact with her.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the abuse occurred over three years, from 2015 through 2018, and began when the girl was 6 years old. Investigators said the abuse occurred at two homes in Cherokee County.
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During the four-day trial, prosecutors presented testimony from six witnesses, including the victim, two family members, child advocacy experts and a medical expert in child abuse. Elrod also testified in his own defense.
The jury deliberated for just under an hour before reaching its verdict.
Sentencing has not yet been set.
The case was investigated by the Canton Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Frankish of the Special Victims Unit.
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