September 10, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
A woman indicted last summer on aggravated child abuse charges for allegedly using a taser on a five-year-old child appeared in DeKalb County Criminal Court today (Tuesday) where she received a two-year sentence.
40-year-old Nikesha Danielle Cooper, who had been indicted on three counts of aggravated child abuse and six counts of child abuse, entered a plea to two counts of child abuse and received a two-year sentence in each case to run concurrently. Cooper is to serve 100% of the sentence but she has already been given jail credit for 411 days.
The case against a co-defendant, 36-year-old Mark Dwayne Cantrell remains pending in court.
According to the nine-count indictment returned by the grand jury in July, 2023, the offenses occurred on or about August 26, 2021 when the child was five years old until August 25, 2022. The child’s date of birth is July 27, 2016. The youngster is now eight years old.
“This was a situation where a taser was used on the child”, District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway told WJLE in July, 2023.
Both Cantrell and Cooper were co-indicted for two counts of aggravated child abuse and four counts of child abuse. Cooper was also indicted for one additional count of aggravated child abuse and two additional counts of child abuse.
The counts against the two for aggravated child abuse allege that “On or about August 26, 2021 to August 25, 2022 in DeKalb County and before the finding of this indictment, Cantrell and Cooper did unlawfully, knowingly, and other than by accidental means, abuse (victim), a child under 18 years of age, such act of abuse, neglect, or endangerment was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, or involved the infliction of torture to the victim, thereby committing the offense of aggravated child abuse in violation of state law”
The counts against Cantrell and Cooper for child abuse allege that “On or about August 26, 2021 to August 25, 2022 in DeKalb County and before the finding of this indictment, Cantrell and Cooper did unlawfully, knowingly, and other than by accidental means, abused or neglected, and inflicted injury on (victim), a child under 18 years of age, such act of abuse or neglect so as to adversely affect the child’s health and welfare, thereby committing the offense of child abuse in violation of state law”.