Paducah Man Convicted of Child's Rape

A Paducah man was convicted Thursday in the 2016 rape of a child.

According to the state Attorney General's office, 32-year-old Samuel David Hunter was found guilty by a McCracken County jury, which recommended a sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutors from Andy Beshear's Special Prosecutions Unit are handling the case against Hunter, who was arrested by the McCracken County Sheriff's Department in June 2016. Deputies were contacted by a local pediatrician about a child testing positive for a sexually transmitted infection. The victim identified Hunter, a family acquaintance, as the suspect. According to deputies, a blood test showed Hunter tested positive for the same STI as the child.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 2 in McCracken Circuit Court. 

Hunter has prior felony convictions in Alabama from 2006 for child abuse and manslaughter. He received a 10-year sentence for those crimes.