Trigger Warning: Child Sexual Abuse
Man Sentenced to 50 Years Following Jury Convictions for 5 Counts of Sexual Abuse Against Child Relative
NORFOLK, Va. — Paul Thomas Cheatham, 35, was sentenced to serve 50 years in prison after a jury earlier this year found him guilty of sexually abusing a child relative who was under the age of 5 at the time.
In November 2021, the child told staff at school 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.
Mr. Cheatham pleaded not guilty to his charges and requested to be tried by a jury. After hearing the evidence between Feb. 3 and 4, 2025, and deliberating for less than two hours on Feb. 5, the jury found Mr. Cheatham guilty as charged.
At sentencing on June 13, after hearing evidence and arguments from the Commonwealth and defense, Judge David W. Lannetti sentenced Mr. Cheatham to serve 50 years in prison and suspended another 115 years in prison on the conditions that Mr. Cheatham be of indefinite uniform good behavior, complete an indefinite period of supervised probation following his release, register as a sex offender, complete any psychosexual treatment recommended while in custody or by probation, and have no contact with the child victim.
“The jury spoke in this case, and for the abuse Mr. Cheatham inflicted on an innocent child he will now spend most if not all of the rest of his life in prison,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “While this sentence cannot undo the harm that Mr. Cheatham caused, I hope that it offers some closure for the survivor and the survivor’s family. Cases like these — where the harm is great, the danger to the community is real, and there must be consequences — are the ones to which we in Norfolk will continue to devote our resources.”
Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Michelle L. Newkirk and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Abigail L. Ottinger prosecuted 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 and/or someone you love has fallen victim to crime — including but not limited to sexual 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 located at 835 Glenrock Road, Suite 100, 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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Feb. 6, 2025
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.
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