JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ala. (WIAT) — On Thursday, detectives with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) received an update that Christopher McHoward was found guilty by a jury on 12 cases of sex crimes.

McHoward, 53, was found guilty on charges including sexual abuse in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree and rape in the first degree. McHoward was indicted on most of these charges in 2017.

Five juvenile victims had come forward regarding the abuse. The youngest victim was 5 years old at the time the abuse began.

Lieutenant Detective Michael Jackson was assigned the first case in June 2016. The victims were all under the age of 12 when the abuse began.

For the past seven years, Jackson worked with multiple agencies, including the Prescott House, the Department of Human Resources and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

“Some of these victims are now teenagers and have lived through a lot already,” Jackson said in a statement. “I hope this can give them some kind of closure so they can move forward and live a happy, productive life.”