Cherokee man gets 15 years in prison for child molestation
A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after a jury convicted him of child molestation, according to the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office.
Nathaniel Merritt Carter, 37, of Canton, will have to serve an additional 15 years on probation upon his release from prison, District Attorney Shannon Wallace said in a statement Thursday.
Carter’s conviction stems from incidents that occurred in 2016 and 2017, she said.
According to Assistant DA Holly Varner, who prosecuted the case, Carter had “indecent contact” with a 9-year-old girl. On one occasion, he tried to entice the child’s friend as well, she said.
“(Carter) convinced a little girl to keep a secret. That secret was nothing more than a cover for his sick behavior,” Varner said. “His perverted actions stole the innocence of a girl and her friend.”
Wallace said the child’s mother “reacted as soon as her daughter disclosed something that set off red flags.” The Cherokee sheriff’s office was called to investigate the claims of sexual abuse, and Carter was arrested Feb. 28, 2017.
A jury found him guilty on Nov. 1 of last year, Wallace said.
Carter will be required to register as a sex offender once he is released from prison and will serve his probation with “sex offender special conditions,” she said.
He will not be permitted to have any contact with people under the age of 18, the victim or her family.
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About the Author
Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.
