KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — A man accused of raping an 8-year-old child in Knoxville has been found guilty this week after a three-day trial, District Attorney General Charme Allen's office said.
The DA's office said a jury convicted Erik Lehto, 53, on two counts of child rape, solicitation of rape of a child and aggravated sexual battery.
Assistant district attorneys Jordan Murray and Rachel Lambert told the jury that the victim was at their elementary school in January 2019 when a school counselor talked to students about "good touches and bad touches." The victim at that time said they had been abused for several months.
Knoxville Police Department investigators were called to the school and interviewed witnesses. Childhelp Tennessee interviewed the victim, who said Lehto had sexually abused them multiple times when they were in third grade.
Attorneys said Lehto had cut off his GPS ankle bracelet while awaiting trial. In February 2020, U.S. Border Patrol agents detained him at a checkpoint on Highway 90 West at the Texas-Mexico border.
“Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in this case, this offender will never be able to hurt a child again,” said DA Charme Allen.
Lehto is scheduled to face sentencing in front of Judge Kyle Hixon on May 20. Prosecutors said they intend to seek the maximum sentence "to ensure Lehto spends the rest of his life in prison."