Church/School Volunteer and a Youth Mentor Among Today's P&Ps

Texas man sentenced for continuous child sex abuse

Special to the Progress,  Thomas Scroggins
   
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Thomas Scroggins, 26, of Bullard, pled guilty and was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years in prison without the possibility of parole for a series of child sex assaults.

According to a release from Cherokee County District Attorney Rachel Patton, Scroggins used his position within the local church and school to lure young male victims to his Bullard home, where the crimes were committed.

Names of the victims are being withheld, the release stated. Their ages varied, but all were younger than 14 years old at the time of the offenses, it added.

District Attorney Rachel Patton represented the state in the criminal case and Attorney Allen W. Ross represented the defense.

Assets seized under new law

Separate from his plea of guilt, Scroggins also agreed to surrender a vehicle used to transport some of his victims, along with some remote-controlled planes which the state alleged were used to lure his young male victims into vulnerable situations, the release stated.

“This is the first time ever that the Cherokee County District Attorney’s office has sought to use the Texas state asset seizure laws to seize property that was used in the sexual assault of children,” Patton said.

    Bullard, TX

38-year-old New York man arrested

for felony sexual abuse of a child

38-year-old Keith A. Hilliard of Moravia has been arrested and charged with one count of Criminal Sexual Act in the Second Degree and one count of Failing to Report a Change of Status, according to authorities.

Hilliard was arrested after a report of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 15. It was determined through an investigation that Hilliard had engaged in oral sexual conduct with the child.

In addition, police say Hilliard was found to be using a social media site that he had not reported to authorities as required by law due to the fact that he was a level 2 sex offender at the time of the incident.

Hilliard was arraigned by the Owasco Town Court and has been committed to the Cayuga County Jail in lieu of no bail.

Police ask that anyone with information related to this investigation contact detectives at 315-253-1610.

Oklahoma youth mentor found guilty

of child sex abuse

By Michael Purdy

Tulsa, Okla. — A former local youth mentor was found guilty on Thursday of 11 counts of child sex abuse. 

Court records show a Tulsa County jury recommended 215 years in prison for Timothy Cato. 

That should just about do it!

We spoke with the assistant district attorney after the verdict and she summed Cato up quickly.

"He's a wolf in sheep's clothing," she said.

She also thought the five boys who stood up and testified against Cato during the trial, despite being young victims, did a great job.

"They were very, very strong," she said.  "They were honest.  They spoke from the heart."

Cato was found not guilty of one count of child sex abuse and one count of possession of child pornography.  He's scheduled for formal sentencing next month.

Vermont man faces more child-sex abuse charges

BARRE — A Granite City man who already faces charges for allegedly sexually abusing a 5-year-old is now accused of sexually abusing another 5-year-old.

William H. Brennick, 52, pleaded not guilty in Washington County criminal court Wednesday to a felony count of repeated aggravated sexual assault on a child, three felony counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child and a felony count of sexual assault on a victim under 16 years old. If convicted, Brennick faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. He is being held on $10,000 bail.

According to the affidavit of Det. Cpl. Roland Tousignant of the Barre City police, Tousignant was contacted by Chief Tim Bombardier on Nov. 1, telling him Bombardier had learned that Brennick had sexually abused a child. He said the alleged victim was interviewed at OUR House Child Advocacy Center in Barre.

Now a teenager, the alleged victim told investigators that when he was 4 or 5 years old, sometime in 2006, Brennick lived on Merchant Street. He told investigators that he had a spare bedroom in Brennick’s home where he would stay on occasion. The teen told investigators that while he was playing in that room, Brennick would come in and perform oral sex on him.

He told investigators this happened multiple times, though he couldn’t estimate how many. The teen told investigators that the first time it happened Brennick told him not to tell anyone and threatened him.

He told investigators his family moved to Montpelier in 2006, and Brennick moved into the home in 2007, after which the abuse continued. The teen told investigators the abuse also occurred in 2013 and 2014 at Brennick’s home in Barre City.

He told investigators the abuse happened less and less as he got older.

Tousignant said he went to Brennick’s home Wednesday and arrested him for sexual assault. He said back at the police station Brennick was interviewed and said he wanted to tell the truth.

Brennick admitted to Tousignant that he had performed oral sex on the boy. He told Tousignant that the first time it happened was when the boy was 5 years old, and it didn’t happen again until the boy was 13 or 14.

Brennick told Tousignant that he knew what he did was wrong and he needs help.

He is already facing a felony count of aggravated assault on a victim under 13 years old and a felony count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child, to which he pleaded not guilty last week.

In the latter case, police say someone walked in on Brennick performing oral sex on a 5-year-old in Plainfield. The child in that case told police that Brennick also touched his genitals and that Brennick and the child have had sex.

    Plainfield, VT