A man convicted of molesting an 8-year-old has been sentenced to over two decades in prison followed by life on probation, the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Xavier Matthew Jennings, 22, was convicted in August of two counts of aggravated child molestation. On Sept. 19, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by life on probation with sex offender special conditions.
A Cherokee County jury convicted Jennings of the charges Aug. 29 after a three-day trial in Chief Superior Court Judge Ellen McElyea’s courtroom.
During the trial, seven witnesses testified for the state including a law enforcement officer, an expert in pediatric sexual assault examination, an expert in forensic interviewing, family members, and the victim.
The defendant was charged with these crimes following a Holly Springs Police Department investigation of allegations involving an 8-year-old child, who disclosed the sexual abuse to a grandparent in June 2018.