Christopher Sheridan guilty of child sex crimes; sentenced to 25 years in prison.
ASHEVILLE — Christopher Vance Sheridan, 44 of Candler, NC, was found guilty as charged today after a seven-day jury trial in Buncombe County Superior Court before the Honorable Jacqueline Grant of four counts of Statutory Rape of a Child by an Adult, three counts of Statutory Sex Offense with a Child by an Adult, one count of Incest under the age of 13, and one count of Obstructing Justice.
“I thank ADAs Amy Collins and Justin Steen for their successful advocacy for justice on behalf of the juvenile victim in this week-long jury trial. Their trauma-informed support of the victim who courageously took the stand to confront this sex offender provided the jury with the compelling evidence needed to put Sheridan in prison for over two decades,” District Attorney Todd Williams said.
These offenses were first reported to the Buncombe County Department of Social Services (DSS) after the victim told her mother that the defendant was raping her and touching her inappropriately in 2018. An investigation was initiated at that time by Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) but was closed without charges after the victim recanted following threats made to her by Sheridan. In 2021, the victim again disclosed to her mother and DSS that Sheridan was raping and touching her inappropriately after she spoke with a friend who had also been victimized by the defendant. An investigation was again conducted by BCSO which resulted in the charges that were presented to the jury over the past week.
The jury returned their verdicts this morning.
At sentencing, Sheridan faced a maximum term of imprisonment of well over 250 years in prison and prosecutors argued that all of Sheridan’s sentences run consecutively to one-another for the maximum term of imprisonment to protect the public.
Judge Grant consolidated all of the sex crimes into one judgment and sentenced Sheridan to serve an active term of 300–420 months imprisonment for the offense of Statutory Sex Offense with a Child by an Adult. Judge Grant added one consecutive active sentence of 9–20 months for Obstructing Justice.
Judge Grant further ordered Sheridan to register as a sex offender for life and to have no contact with the victim for the remainder of his life. He was also ordered to comply with Satellite Based Monitoring for a term of ten years upon his release from prison.
“The District Attorney’s Office thanks the jurors serving on this case for hearing and believing the testimony of the juvenile-victim and the iron-clad evidence presented by investigators that brought Sheridan to justice for his atrocious acts. I wish the victim and the victim’s family peace and healing and thank them for their cooperation in this case,” District Attorney Todd Williams said.
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