A Dawson County man last week was sentenced to 40 years in prison after a jury convicted him of child molestation and sexual battery against a child.

Chaney Wayne Allen, 50, was tried in the Superior Court of Dawson County and sentenced by Judge Jason Deal to a term of 40 years, with 35 years to serve in custody and the balance on probation, according to District Attorney Lee Darragh.

Darragh said Allen was convicted Aug. 9 by a jury of eight women and four men on four counts of child molestation and two counts of sexual battery against a child.

According to Darragh, Deal remarked that the acts proven by the state in court were “extremely disturbing.”

Allen was arrested March 24, 2016 on charges that stemmed from incidents that occurred in mid-December 2015, according to Sheriff Jeff Johnson.

Allen was accused of sexually molesting a 7-year-old girl at his residence. The victim was a daughter of a friend of the family, Johnson said.