The Brief
- A Cherokee County jury convicted 26-year-old Reyes Hernandez-Macario on eight counts including rape and child molestation.
- The defendant served as a youth pastor and used a transport van to isolate and assault victims.
- Police captured Hernandez-Macario at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport as he attempted to flee to Guatemala in 2023.
CANTON, Ga. – A Cherokee County jury convicted Reyes Hernandez-Macario, 26, on Thursday for the rape and child molestation of two preteen girls in separate incidents in Canton and Woodstock.
Assaults involving a youth pastor
What we know:
Hernandez-Macario was a youth pastor responsible for transporting children to services when the assaults occurred. In one instance, he locked a child inside a van after dropping off other children to forcibly assault her.
In a separate case, he grabbed a child inside her family home and covered her mouth to prevent her from calling for help. Prosecutors say he threatened that harm would come to the girl’s family if she reported the abuse.…