CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — Three men were sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection to an armed home invasion on Lower Birmingham Road in Canton in 2022.

Officials say 19-year-old Kaiden Pridgen and 23-year-old Cibias Viera pleaded guilty to eight charges including home invasion and attempted armed robbery.

One of the home invasion victims was pistol whipped and the other victim was held at gunpoint in the kitchen.

According to the Cherokee County District Attorney, a photo on Pridgen’s social media page showed him holding an AR pistol and a handgun with a laser. A home security video also shows Pridgen entering the home with a black semi-automatic pistol.

A third man, David Emory Kelley, 22, of Woodstock, was prosecuted separately for his part in this crime. Kelley pled guilty on April 8 to burglary in the first degree and conspiracy to commit home invasion. Kelley was considered a co-conspirator in that he selected the targets and was the group’s getaway driver.

Pridgen was 16 at the time of the home invasion, however, he was prosecuted as an adult, Cherokee County officials said.

“In making the determination to prosecute a 16-year-old defendant as an adult, the State considered the violent nature of this crime and determined it is in the interest of public safety to prosecute him accordingly,” said District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway. “We are committed to holding all dangerous offenders accountable and ensuring the safety of our community.”

Investigators say they identified Pridgen and Viera using cell phone tracking technology.

Judge Davis previously sentenced Vieira to 35 years, with the first 25 years to serve in confinement after he entered a negotiated guilty plea on Feb. 18 for the same charges.

“Home invasion is among the most terrifying of crimes because it involves invading the sanctity of a person’s home. These victims did not have anything physically taken from them, but they were robbed of their peace of mind, which is something that can never be replaced,” said ADA Hertel. “The defendants in this case demonstrated a complete disregard for the law and for the collateral consequences of their actions.”