John William McDonaldA Dayton, Tennessee, man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to child sex crimes involving two girls under the age of 12.
John William McDonald, 40, was sentenced Friday before Circuit Court Judge J. Curtis Smith on three counts of rape of a child and one count of aggravated sexual battery, Rhea County Circuit Court officials confirmed.
McDonald will be 70 or so before he becomes eligible for parole.
He was originally charged in late 2018 with 10 counts of rape of a child, 10 counts of aggravated sexual battery and 10 additional related counts, stemming from an investigation launched in November after the first child told a school official what happened to her, Rhea County Sheriff's Office investigator Rocky Potter said in February.
School officials notified the girl's mother and suggested she see a doctor for an exam. The doctor, according to protocol prescribed in state law, contacted the Tennessee Child Abuse Hotline. Hotline officials notified Rhea County authorities.
Potter said Monday that the abuse took place over a period of just under than a year. As word got out about those allegations, Potter got a call from a police agency in the Midwest regarding another girl under 12 years old who'd previously lived in Rhea County. Potter made a trip to that girl's hometown to conduct an interview and collect evidence there.
That girl's mother had spotted McDonald's booking photo on social medial and knew her daughter had been around him at the same time as the other girl. Potter said the mother and daughter reported the incident to their local police department.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.