Tchanavian Cantrell
John Cantrell
XENIA — Two Beavercreek adults were convicted of multiple counts of endangering children after the pair were accused of repeatedly striking a minor child and causing serious harm.
Tchanavian Cantrell, 36, and John Cantrell, 37, were found guilty by a jury after four days of trial in Greene County Common Pleas Court, according to a release from the Greene County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Cantrells, two other adults who were charged but not yet been tried, and several children were living together as a family unit at a home in Beavercreek, the release said.
A few days prior to Oct. 19, 2021, the child in the home failed to properly complete an assigned chore. Prosecutors said the four adults disciplined the child by excessively striking the child on the lower back with a belt, ultimately causing severe abrasions and causing her great pain. Prosecutors added that during this abuse, one adult also sprayed isopropyl alcohol directly onto the bleeding, open wounds.
A few days later, the minor child left the home and secretly went to Coy Middle School in Beavercreek. When Tchanavian Cantrell learned the minor child was at the school and came to collect her, the child fled the school grounds, according to the prosecutor’s office. Police found the child in a nearby wooded area, and the child disclosed the abuse. After observing the child’s injuries and conducting an investigation, Beavercreek police arrested the adults on Oct. 21, 2021, and charged them with child endangering.
The Cantrells — who had their bond revoked by the court after the verdict — will be sentenced at a later date.
Greene County Prosecutor David Hayes commended the investigation by Sergeant Nick Amato of the Beavercreek Police Department, as well as Chief Trial Counsel Andrew J. Hunt, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Christian M. Cavalier, and Victim/Witness Advocate Omni M. Cox, who represented the State of Ohio in this case.
“There is a line between discipline and abuse,” Hayes said. “The adults who should have been responsible for caring for this child abdicated that responsibility and crossed the line. No child should be tortured, and no adult should be permitted to cruelly abuse a child. The Greene County Prosecutor’s Office will always work to hold child abusers accountable.”
