Lake Norman man who raped 2-year-old sentenced to at least 50 years

A Lake Norman man who raped a 2-year-old girl on numerous occasions was sentenced on Friday to at least 50 years in prison.

Zachary Allen Blankenship, 32, of Sherrills Ford was sentenced after a Catawba County jury found him guilty of rape of a child by an adult offender, three counts of sexual offense with a child by an adult offender and four counts of indecent liberties with a child. The jury deliberated for about two hours.

Blankenship raped and committed other sexual assaults against the toddler on multiple occasions in November 2013, the Catawba County District Attorney’s Office said.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Lake Norman man who raped 2-year-old sentenced to at least 50 years."