James Arthur Kilgo was sentenced on November 4, 2026, to 166 years in Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) custody following his conviction on multiple child sexual abuse charges.

District Attorney General Ryan Desmond announced the sentence after a lengthy hearing in Blount County Circuit Court, where the judge heard victim impact statements from family members, evidence of Kilgo’s prior criminal behavior, and testimony regarding his post-conviction attempts to communicate with the victim.

A Blount County jury found Kilgo guilty in August 2026 on multiple counts including Rape of a Child, Incest, and Coercion of a Witness. The charges stemmed from an investigation initiated by the Blount County Sheriff’s Office in October 2022 after offenses spanning multiple years.

Assistant District Attorney Ashley Salem prosecuted the case, investigated by Detective Meghan Mattocks of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division with assistance from the New Hope Children’s Advocacy Center.