Courthouse guard charged with abuse
February 11 , 2007
Adapted from the Public Opinion News
A second courthouse security guard faces sexual abuse charges for allegedly having indecent contact with a child.
The 66-year-old faces one count each of indecent assault and corruption of minors. Police received word of the incident from county Children and Youth, and following an investigation, filed charges.
The county sheriff said the man has been placed on administrative suspension without pay pending an internal investigation.
"He has no contact with the public anymore through the Sheriff's office," said the sheriff.
According to an affidavit filed, the man allegedly took a 7-year-old girl into a bedroom to play a game he called "torture chamber." The victim said the man would tie her wrists and ankles to a cot using rope, and he would blindfold her using a handkerchief.
She said that the man once put Band-aids over her eyes.
The victim told police that when she was tied up, the man would lift her shirt to expose her stomach. He allegedly would rub her stomach and arms, and tell her that she was pretty and that he loved her. The victim also said that two months ago when she went to kiss him on the cheek, he turned his head and she ended up kissing him on the lips.
"The victim related that this made her feel uncomfortable and she started thinking about what had occurred in the past," according to the affidavit.
The victim said the incidents occurred 12 to 15 times over three to four years.
The man, however, said in an interview with police that he used rope, belts and handcuffs to tie the child up on three or four occasions. He said he stopped once the girl was 9 or 10 years old because he "felt that the victim was getting to be a young lady and this wasn't good."
He said he never touched her in a sexual manner.
This is the second security officer in less than a month who is facing similar charges.
A 67-year-old man was charged with indecent assault stemming from an incident when he allegedly sexually assaulted a 3-year-old neighbor. He was a former president at a local fire department. |
