Trigger Warning: Child Sexual Abuse
Jury Convicts Man of 5 Counts of Sexual Abuse Against Norfolk Child
NORFOLK, Va. — A jury convicted Paul Thomas Cheatham, 35, on Wednesday of five counts of felony sexual abuse that he committed against a child relative who was under the age of 5 at the time.
In November 2021, the child told school staff about Mr. Cheatham’s abuse, which the staff then reported to Child Protective Services and to Norfolk Police. The child then underwent a forensic interview with experts at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Child Advocacy Center, and police secured charges against Mr. Cheatham for the aggravated sexual battery of a child under the age of 13, taking indecent liberties with a child as their custodian, the object sexual penetration of a child under the age of 13, and two counts of sodomy of a child under the age of 13.
On Feb. 3, 2025, Mr. Cheatham pleaded not guilty to his charges and requested to be tried by a jury. On Feb. 5, after less than two hours of deliberation, the jury found Mr. Cheatham guilty as charged. Judge David W. Lannetti, who presided over the trial, set Mr. Cheatham’s sentencing hearing on May 2.
“Here in Norfolk, we do not shy away from trying tough cases, and cases involving child sexual assault are among the most difficult cases to prove in criminal law,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “I am grateful to the survivor of Mr. Cheatham’s crimes, to the school and social-services workers who believed her, and to the police who put together an investigation that enabled us to go to a jury and hold Mr. Cheatham accountable. We stand with the survivor, as we do with all victims, and know that she will not permit Mr. Cheatham to define her life or her story.”
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michelle L. Newkirk and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Abigail L. Ottinger are prosecuting Mr. Cheatham’s case, and Norfolk Police Sergeant Brian C. Williams, Detective Ryan B. Davis, and former Norfolk Detective Erin A. Cangiano led the investigation.
If you have or someone you love has fallen victim to crime, including but not limited to child abuse, resources are available at the Norfolk Family Justice Center. For more information, please visit norfolkfjc.org, call 757-330-0376 or stop by the NFJC inside the Park Place Multi-Services Center at 606 W. 29th St., between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays. If you are in crisis, call the 24/7 hotline by dialing 757-251-0144. In an emergency, please call 911.
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