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Written by: A. Smith
Published October 31, 2025 @ 7:45 AM ET
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. – A Cherokee County man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl over a five-month period, officials said.
Antonio Eliberto Lopez, 50, was convicted by a jury on Oct. 3 of rape, trafficking persons for sexual servitude, and child molestation. Cherokee County Chief Superior Court Judge David Cannon Jr. handed down the sentence on Oct. 28.
During the sentencing hearing, a victim impact statement was read aloud in court by Assistant District Attorney Leyna Pope of the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit. In it, the girl described how the abuse affected her life.
“The rape was not only an act of physical violence, it was an assault on my soul, my identity, and my fundamental sense of security, and I live with the constant trauma,” the statement said. “Anxiety and fear have become my daily companions….The rape was not an isolated event in time. It was a moment that split our lives into a before and after. It has stolen peace, joy, and normalcy, not only from the present but also from the future and the future of those that love me most.”
The case began in April 2024 when Canton Police learned of the abuse. A forensic interview revealed that Lopez sexually abused the girl over a five-month period.
“This defendant used his position of power and authority to get what he wanted at the expense of a 12-year-old child,” Pope said in court. “He was brazen, bold, selfish, and violent with her, and he used fear to keep her quiet. We are thankful that she had the strength to tell someone, ensuring that she would no longer have to suffer at the hands of this man.”
In addition to life in prison, Lopez was sentenced as a registered sex offender and ordered to have no contact with the victim or her family. He will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years and is subject to deportation after his release.