Dillan Michael Tennant
A Ringgold man has been convicted for cruelty to children and sentenced to 30 years in prison - with the first 15 years to serve.
On Wednesday, a Catoosa County jury convicted Dillan Michael Tennant, 24, on two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree. The evidence presented over the course of a three-day trial, showed that Tennant physically abused his two-year-old son and three-year-old daughter by beating them repeatedly, leaving what was described as horrific bruising on the toddlers.
In March of 2023, Tennant and the two children lived with Tennant’s father, mother, and brother in the Rossville area.
Between March 14-16, 2023, Tennant was at the family residence supervising his children. Tennant became enraged because, while failing to properly supervise the children, they made a mess in their bedroom. Tennant struck the children repeatedly over the course of two days. Tennant used a board to strike his two-year-old son. Tennant then left the residence he shared with the children’s grandparents and uncle and took the children to a male friend’s home in an attempt to conceal the injuries he had inflicted on his children.
Days later, Tennant returned home with the children. The children’s grandparents and uncle quickly noticed the bruising and injuries and contacted law enforcement immediately to report that Tennant had abused the children. Tennant was questioned by law enforcement and denied causing the injuries while falsely claiming that it must have been another family member who injured his children, prosecutors said.
However, despite admitting to observing the severity of the injuries on his own children, Tennant never attempted to seek medical treatment for them.
Witnesses from the Department of Family and Children’s Services testified during the trial that the bruising was some of the worst that had been seen in their career. A forensic pediatric medical doctor from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation testified that the injures were non-accidental and the result of repeated strikes using a great degree of force.
Prosecutors said, "Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office Detective Rebecca Jordan conducted a skilled and thorough investigation of Tennant, which led to his successful prosecution and conviction for the crimes he committed against his own children."
Tennant was sentenced by Catoosa County Superior Court Judge Chris Arnt. Tennant is neither permitted to have any contact with the child victims in the case nor to have unsupervised contact with any minor under the age of 18.
The state of Georgia was represented by Assistant District Attorney Deanna Reisman. Victim Advocate Shelby Bradshaw provided invaluable care and assistance to the family of the child victims throughout the course of the prosecution, it was stated.
“Child abuse and crimes against children will always be aggressively prosecuted by my office and ADA Reisman’s prosecution team and the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Office did an amazing job in doing that in this case,” District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller said. “This child abuser will have plenty of time to clean his room in the Department of Corrections.