A Columbus County jury took less than an hour to find Cleon Cortez guilty of child sex crimes today (Nov. 21).
Cleon Cortez, 53, was found guilty of taking indecent liberties with a minor and statutory sex offense, according to a release from the District Attorney’s Office. Cortex molested a child in a Tabor City home on Jan. 1, 2023, and was arrested the following May after an investigation by the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center assisted in the case.
Cortez, who had a South Carolina address, was sentenced to 338 to 476 months in prison by Superior court Judge Quinton McGee.
The state was represented by First Assistant District Attorney Jenna Earley and Legal Assistant Tasha Batten.
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