Summerville Man Sentenced to Nearly 40 Years for Heinous Sexual Abuse of Two 15-Year-Old Victims

CHATTOOGA COUNTY, Ga. – On August 7, 2025, Christopher Mark Tidmore, a 36-year-old man from Summerville, was convicted of committing multiple acts of sexual abuse against his 15-year-old adopted daughter and his daughter’s 15-year-old friend.

The case against Tidmore, which was investigated by Detective Josh Strauss with the Summerville Police Department, came to light when Timore’s daughter’s friend disclosed that Tidmore had committed sexual abuse against her while she was having a sleepover with Timore’s daughter.

An investigation into Tidmore ensued, and he was subsequently interviewed by Detective Strauss and search warrants were obtained for his electronic devices.

A search of the electronic devices by Detective Strauss revealed that Tidmore had used his cell phone to record himself committing numerous acts of child molestation against his adopted daughter.

Tidmore’s phone contained multiple images of minors engaged in sexual acts, as well as a photograph of Tidmore’s penis placed on the face of a minor.

During Tidmore’s recorded interview with Detective Strauss, when Tidmore was asked whether he had engaged in sexual activity with any minors, Tidmore casually responded, “yeah, my daughter.”

After pleading guilty to Aggravated Sexual Battery, Aggravated Child Molestation, Aggravated Sodomy, Incest, Statutory Rape, and several counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, Tidmore was sentenced to Life, with 38 years of the sentence to be served without the possibility of parole.

The State of Georgia was represented by Chief Assistant District Attorney Deanna Reisman, and the case was thoroughly and expertly investigated by Summerville Police Detective Josh Strauss.

“Evil walks among us every day. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist – but this case proved otherwise. This monster stole the innocence of children, and Detective Josh Strauss hunted him down, pulled evil into the light, and made sure he will spend the majority of his days behind iron bars,” District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller said.