A jury in Blount County has found Johnny Chandler guilty of heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl, including kidnapping and sexual assault, after she was discovered hidden in a concealed space inside a Warrior home, an case that has shocked the region and led to additional investigations.
A Blount County jury has convicted Johnny Chandler of kidnapping and raping a 10-year-old girl from Blountsville, closing a case that stunned north Alabama after the child was found hidden in a wall-like concealment inside a home in Warrior, according to local reporting. Chandler, 57, was found guilty on all charges tied to the March 2024 disappearance, including first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping, two counts of sexual abuse of a child under 12, first-degree unlawful imprisonment and obstructing governmental operations.
The girl was reported missing on 10 March 2024, triggering a broad search by local, state and federal agencies. She was later discovered alive in a residence in Warrior after investigators traced her phone to Chandler’s property. During the trial, prosecutors said Chandler had groomed the child over time, buying her a mobile phone and other items before taking her from outside her home and assaulting her at his house in Smoke Rise.
Evidence presented in court included the concealed space where the child was found, hidden behind a portable heater in a basement stairwell wall. Investigators later recovered bedding and a stuffed toy from the hiding place, while medical and forensic evidence linked Chandler to the case, with DNA reportedly found on the victim’s clothing. Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey called the case among the most disturbing she had handled and said the speed of the response helped save the child’s life.
Chandler still faces separate allegations in an ongoing investigation involving other children, including pending counts of first-degree human trafficking and reckless distribution of pornographic material, according to the reports. Sentencing is set for 26 May, and he faces a minimum of 10 years and as much as life in prison on the top felony counts.
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