Ohio Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Molesting 12-Year-Old Macon Girl He Met Online
MACON, Ga. – An Ohio man who prosecutors say groomed a 12-year-old girl online before traveling to Georgia and having illegal sexual contact with her has been sentenced to 20 years.
Dante Ahke Withers pleaded guilty to one count of Child Molestation on Friday, August 14, 2026. A judge sentenced him to 20 years, with the first 15 years to be served in confinement, followed by probation.
Withers was 29 years old when he met the victim, who was 12 and living in the Macon area, through a social media app.
According to the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, Withers began communicating with and grooming the child online. He later traveled from Ohio to Georgia, where prosecutors said he engaged in illegal sexual contact with her.
Father’s Report Later Corroborated by FBI Investigation
The girl’s father became concerned about Withers’ relationship with his daughter and reported his suspicions to law enforcement in Macon.
The father also recorded a telephone conversation with Withers in which Withers admitted having a relationship with the girl, according to prosecutors.
The investigation initially struggled to move forward because the victim did not disclose the abuse during a forensic interview.
Two years later, investigators received a significant break in the case through an unrelated federal investigation.
The FBI’s Cyber Crime Unit in Ohio uncovered digital evidence connecting Withers to the victim while conducting a separate child exploitation investigation. That evidence corroborated the father’s original report, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The FBI referred the evidence to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, which obtained warrants for Withers’ arrest. Prosecutors said statements Withers made following his arrest provided additional evidence supporting the case.
Withers Required to Register as Sex Offender
Under the terms of his plea agreement, Withers must register as a sex offender and comply with applicable registry requirements.
His sentence also includes several special conditions. Withers is banished from the Macon Judicial Circuit and prohibited from contacting the victim or her family. He is also subject to a Fourth Amendment waiver and restrictions involving drugs, alcohol, weapons and firearms.
“This defendant used the anonymity of the internet to target and groom a child, then crossed state lines to abuse her,” Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney Anita Howard said.
Howard credited the FBI and Bibb County Sheriff’s Office with developing the evidence that ultimately allowed the case to move forward.
“We remain committed to protecting children in our community from predators like this one,” Howard said.
