A Catoosa County man has been sentenced to 20 years after a jury found him guilty of molesting two young children. According to District Attorney Kathleen V.P. Davis, 26-year-old Dakota Christopher Crow was convicted on September 30, 2026, following a three-day trial in Catoosa County Superior Court. Crow was sentenced on October 13 to serve six years in prison, followed by 14 years on sex offender probation.
The District Attorney’s Office released the following statement detailing the investigation, trial, conviction, and sentencing:
On September 30, 2026, a Catoosa County jury convicted Dakota Christopher Crow for fondling
two young children in 2018, after a three-day trial before Chief Superior Court Judge Brian House. Crow,
26, was convicted on two counts of child molestation, one for each child.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Crow repeatedly fondled the victims beginning in 2017
through 2018. An eyewitness testified that during the time in question, he observed Crow inappropriately
rubbing on one of the victim’s legs and although he admonished Crow and told him to stop, the incident
was not immediately reported to law enforcement. Senior forensic interviewer Ms. Holly Kittle of the
Children’s Advocacy Center who interviewed both victims, testified that it was common for children not
to immediately report sexual abuse and that the average age that someone will disclose that they were
sexually abused as a child is in their 50’s. Additionally, Crow took the stand and testified on his own
behalf and on cross-examination admitted that he did inappropriately touch one of the victims as the
eyewitness testified, however he denied touching the children’s genital area.
The case was presented to the jury by Senior Assistant District Attorney David Wolfe and assisted
by Victim Witness Advocate Britany Moses, who coordinated and communicated with the witnesses, and
District Attorney’s Office Chief Investigator Christy Smith who provided investigation and support to the
team.
On September 30, 2026, the jury found Dakota Christopher Crow guilty of both counts of child
molestation after a short deliberation. On October 13, 2026, Chief Judge Brian House held a sentencing
hearing for Crow. During that hearing, ADA Wolfe pointed out that Crow admitted on the stand to
inappropriately touching one of the victims and that Crow testified that he was volunteering to work with
children after the time that he molested these victims up until his arrest for this case, arguing that he was
a potential threat to other children in the community. Judge House sentenced Crow to a twenty-year
sentence, with the first six years to be served in prison and the remainder to be served on sex offender
probation.
From District Attorney Kathleen V.P. Davis: “The strong case presented by Senior ADA Wolfe
and the support of Chief Investigator Smith and Advocate Britney Moses, ensured justice was finally
obtained for these victims. Delayed disclosures of abuse are common, and this should not serve as an
obstacle to the prosecution of child molesters. We sincerely thank the Children’s Advocacy Center and
our law enforcement partners for their ongoing commitment to justice for these victims.”