Beavercreek man convicted of beating child bloody with belt gets maximum sentence

Oct. 25—A Beavercreek man accused of beating a girl with a belt and pouring rubbing alcohol on the wounds will spend up to a dozen years in prison.

John Wesley Cantrell III, 37, was sentenced Wednesday by Greene County Common Pleas Judge Adolfo Tornichio to eight to 12 years in prison, the maximum, after a jury on Aug. 29 convicted him and 37-year-old Tchanavian Cantrell of four counts of felony endangering children.

They and two other adults facing similar charges for "whoopings" of a 12-year-old girl.

The four adults and several children lived together as a family unit in Beavercreek, according to the Greene County Prosecutor's Office. In mid-October 2021, the child failed to complete her chores. To discipline her, the four adults struck the child with a metal-studded belt, causing bleeding, open wounds on her lower back. One of the adults then immediately sprayed isopropyl alcohol onto the open wounds, "which inflicted immense pain upon the victim," prosecutors said.

The child, who was home-schooled, on Oct. 19, 2021, snuck out of the house and went to Coy Middle School in Beavercreek. When Tchanavian Cantrell came to pick her up from the school, the girl ran into a nearby wooded area, where the child disclosed the abuse.

After observing the girl's injuries and conducting an investigation, Beavercreek police arrested all four adults on Oct. 21, 2021, and charged them with endangering children.

"This was not discipline, but the torture of a child that is deserving of the maximum sentence permitted by law," Greene County Prosecutor David Hayes stated. "I am thankful for Judge Tornichio's thoughtful consideration of the facts of this case and am grateful that he imposed a sentence of eight to 12 years. It is my hope that this sentence will further assist the victim as she continues to recover and move on from this horrific event."

As part of the investigation, the child told a caseworker she received "whoopings" anytime something went wrong and that the defendants used a black belt, metal belt and brown belt. During an interview at Michael's House Child Advocacy Center, the girl said she received about 200 "licks" because she didn't do chores correctly, according to court documents.

"Throughout the interview (the child) stated, 'They abuse us, all of us,'" the documents stated.

Greene County Children Services removed 13 children from the house.

Tchanavian Cantrell is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 31 by Tornichio.

A trial will begin Nov. 6 for a third adult in the case, 38-year-old Tammara Ann Moreland, aka Tammara Cantrell.

Prosecutors have until Dec. 3 to present its case against a fourth adult, a 37-year-old woman, to a grand jury, according to court documents.