Man Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Girlfriend's Daughter In Cherokee

CANTON, GA — A man who pled guilty to repeatedly sexually abusing his girlfriend's daughter when she was as young as 6-years-old has been sentenced to prison, Cherokee County prosecutors said Tuesday.

A judge on April 16 sentenced Chase Taylor Doughty, 35, to 25 years in prison after he pled guilty to child molestation and other charges, the Cherokee County District Attorney's Office said.

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Authorities began investigating Doughty in January 2025 after a 14-year-old girl told a therapist about the abuse, prosecutors said.

During a forensic interview, prosecutors said the girl reported the sexual abuse started when she was about 6-years-old at a home outside of Cherokee.

The abuse continued for years and happened two to three times a week at a Ball Ground home, prosecutors said.

Doughty "exploited a very young child’s trust by telling her he did these things to her because he loved her, and even giving her money to gain her compliance,” said Cherokee County Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Rachel Hines, of the Special Victims Unit.

“She continues to suffer from the emotional and mental toll of what he did, yet over time, she found the strength to speak up and bring his crimes to light.”

The girl attended the plea hearing alongside Service Dog Parker, of the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors said Parker provided "helpful distraction and emotional support."

Doughty pled guilty to aggravated child molestation, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery (two counts), child molestation (two counts), first-degree cruelty to children and trafficking of persons for sexual servitude, prosecutors said.

Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Tony Baker sentenced Doughty, as negotiated, to 25 years to serve in prison followed by life on probation.

Prosecutors said the sentence came with special conditions, including sex offender registration and no contact of any kind with anyone under the age of 18. He was also ordered no contact with the victim.

“When this child disclosed her abuse to a therapist, she finally received the help and protection she deserved,” Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a news release. “Thanks to her courage, her mother’s support, a swift investigation by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office and a strong prosecution, this defendant will never again be in a position to harm a child.”