Dante Ahke Withers, of Ohio, pleaded guilty Friday, August 14, 2026 to one count of Child Molestation. Withers was sentenced by a judge to 20 years, with the first 15 years to serve in confinement, followed by probation.
Withers, then 29 years old, met the victim, then 12 years old and living in the Macon area, through an online social media app. Withers began communicating with and grooming the victim before traveling from Ohio to Georgia, where he engaged in illegal sexual contact with her.
The victim’s father grew concerned about the relationship between his daughter and Withers and reported it to law enforcement in Macon. He also recorded a phone call with Withers, during which Withers admitted to the girl’s father to having a relationship with the victim. At that time, law enforcement officials struggled to move the matter forward, as the victim refused to disclose the abuse during a forensic interview.
Two years later, the FBI’s Cyber Crime Unit in Ohio, during an unrelated child exploitation investigation, identified digital evidence connecting Withers to the victim, corroborating the father’s original report. The FBI referred that evidence to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, which obtained arrest warrants for Withers. Following his arrest, additional statements made by Withers further supported the case against him.
As part of the plea agreement, Withers will be required to register as a sex offender and to comply with all sex offender registry conditions. Special conditions of his sentence include banishment from the Macon Judicial Circuit, no contact with the victim or her family, a Fourth Amendment waiver, and prohibitions on drugs, alcohol, and weapons or firearms.
“This defendant used the anonymity of the internet to target and groom a child, then crossed state lines to abuse her,” said Anita Howard, Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney. “This 20-year sentence, along with lifetime sex offender registration and a permanent ban from our Circuit, reflects the severity of these crimes. We are grateful to the FBI and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office for their diligence in connecting the evidence that made this prosecution possible, and we remain committed to protecting children in our community from predators like this one.”