News

Mills River man sent to prison for multiple child sex offenses

By Lightning Reports, Published: August 22, 2023

A 32-year-old Mills River man was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison last week after he pleaded guilty to three counts of statutory rape of a child, one count of statutory sex offense with a child and three counts of incest, District Attorney R. Andrew Murray announced Tuesday.

Superior Court Judge Peter Knight imposed the sentence of 20 to 29 years on Friday after Dakota James Cook entered the guilty plea. In addition to the prison sentence, Knight also ordered Cook to register for life as a sex offender and to have no contact with the victim for the rest of his life.

According to evidence presented at a sentencing hearing on March 11, Henderson County sheriff's deputies received several cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that possible sexual abuse material existed at the Cook's address. Deputies who obtained and executed a search warrant of Cook's home discovered that he had a 12-year-old biological daughter living at the residence. The minor child disclosed sexual abuse by her father, which included providing the child with alcohol and marijuana before the offenses occurred.