An Alabama man’s heinous crimes shocked the community as a jury found him guilty of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, whom he then concealed within a basement stairwell.

On April 9, Johnny Chandler was convicted of multiple charges, including first-degree rape and kidnapping, as well as two counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12, unlawful imprisonment, and obstruction of governmental operations, according to reports from AL.com.

“This case ranks among the most disturbing we’ve encountered,” Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey shared on Facebook. “No child should face such fear and trauma. While today’s verdict marks a crucial step toward justice, our priority remains the ongoing recovery of this child.”

Chandler’s arrest took place on March 12, 2024, two days after the young girl from Blountsville was reported missing. A collaborative search effort by local, state, and federal agencies, including the FBI North Alabama Violent Crime Task Force, led to her rescue at Chandler’s residence in Warrior. Authorities discovered a makeshift hiding space equipped with a blanket and a stuffed animal, as reported by AL.com.

Chandler confessed to abducting the girl from her home and committing the assault, details shared by AL.com.

During a four-day trial, the young victim bravely testified, recalling how Chandler instructed her to hide in a basement hole when law enforcement, tracking her phone’s signal, arrived at his door, as reported by 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.