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An Alabama man has been convicted in a horrific case involving the abduction and assault of a 10-year-old girl, whom he subsequently concealed in a basement stairwell.
On April 9, Johnny Chandler was found guilty of several charges, including first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping. He also faced two counts of sexually abusing a child under 12, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and obstructing governmental operations, as reported by AL.com.
Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey expressed her deep concern over the case on Facebook. “This is among the most disturbing cases we’ve encountered,” she stated. “No child should ever have to endure such fear and trauma. While the verdict is a significant step toward justice, our focus remains on the child’s ongoing recovery.”
According to jail records, Chandler was arrested on March 12, 2024, just two days after the young girl from Blountsville was reported missing. A collaborative search involving local, state, and federal agencies, as detailed by AL.com, led to the FBI North Alabama Violent Crime Task Force locating the girl alive at Chandler’s residence in Warrior. Authorities also uncovered the concealed space she had been kept in, which contained a stuffed animal and a blanket, according to AL.com.
Chandler allegedly admitted to authorities that he had taken the child from her home and subsequently assaulted her, as reported by AL.com.
The victim reportedly testified during the four-day trial, recalling how Chandler told her to hide in the hole when authorities—led to him after her phone pinged at the location—came to his door, reported AL.com.
“When you look at the little hole in the wall that she was in that had a stuffed animal and a blanket,” Casey said, according to CBS 42, “and to know that he violated her, to me that is disturbing.”
Casey said Chandler had a prior relationship with the girl and her family, according to CBS 42, and groomed her over years.
“He would buy her things and do things for her,” Casey said, per the outlet, “and created a situation where she began to rely on him.”
According to Casey, Chandler is scheduled for sentencing on May 26 and he is facing life in prison. “If it would have been an option,” Casey wrote in a Facebook comment, “I would have sought the death penalty.”
Casey said she is asking the court to run Chandler’s sentences consecutively, per CBS 42, to ensure he is denied parole.