On Friday morning, Aug. 21, a 14-year-old girl in Canton missed her school bus. Wanting to make it to class on time, she decided to walk along Hickory Road by herself.
As she walked down the road, a man driving a large truck pulled up beside her. He rolled down his window and asked if she needed a ride to school. The driver talked her into getting into the truck, convincing her he was just trying to help.
Instead of taking her to campus, the driver headed down unfamiliar streets in Canton. He drove to a separate location, where the teenager reported he sexually assaulted her inside the truck.
After the assault, the driver drove back toward her school. He dropped her off near the campus property and drove away. The girl managed to reach safety and tell her family what happened.
Later that day, the victim’s family reported the assault to the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office. Detectives took on the case right away, but they started with very little information about the driver or his vehicle.
Investigators turned to the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Real Time Intelligence Center for assistance. Using automated license plate reader technology placed on local roads, detectives searched for trucks that passed through Hickory Road during the time of the girl’s walk.
The camera system identified a vehicle that matched the girl’s description. That electronic lead helped detectives confirm key parts of her account and pointed them directly to a suspect.
On Thursday morning, deputies served a search warrant at the Canton home of 42-year-old Raymond Sookram. Officers arrested Sookram at the scene and charged him with aggravated child molestation, trafficking a person for sexual servitude, and interference with custody. He remains held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.
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