Child Molester Convicted & Sent to Prison for 32 years

Michael McDaris

On October 26, 2011, Michael McDaris, age 63, was convicted of two counts of statutory rape. The jury rendered its guilty verdict after a three day trial held in front of the Honorable Robert C. Ervin, Superior Court Judge in the Mecklenburg County Courthouse.

McDaris repeatedly molested and raped a teenage family member over a period of years between 2003 and 2004. The victim was 14 and 15 years old at the time that she was raped by the defendant. The victim in that case was afraid to come forward until five years later, when she decided to report the crimes to the Mint Hill Police Department.

The victim, now 23, testified in front of the jury this week about the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of the defendant. The defendant gave a statement to the Mint Hill Police admitting the molestation and rape of this girl. After all of the evidence was presented, the jury deliberated for approximately an hour and ten minutes before rendering their verdict of guilty, as charged, to both counts of statutory rape.

At sentencing, the victim and her mother read victim impact statements to the Court. The victim told the judge that testifying against the man who raped her was the hardest thing she had ever done, but that after the verdict she “felt free and was now a survivor.”  She also asked the judge to sentence the defendant to two consecutive prison sentences for the rapes. Judge Ervin sentenced the defendant to a minimum of 192-240 months in prison for each charge; he will serve a total sentence of 32-40 years in prison.