Three North Carolina men face felonies and misdemeanors involving a 14-year-old girl who lives far west of Raleigh.
The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office said it spent more than a year investigating allegations that the men participated in statutory rape of the teen that involved prostitution.
Transylvania County is about 280 miles west of Raleigh.
One of the men, a 24-year-old from Rutherfordton, faces three felonies: statutory rape, participating in prostitution of a minor and statutory sex offense.
A Pisgah Forest man, 23 years old, faces a statutory rape charge and felony statutory sex offense accusation, as well as a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
A Brevard man, 22, faces four charges: felony statutory rape, felony statutory sex offense, felony participating in prostitution of a minor and a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Investigators say their investigation of the men and teen began with the April 2012 discovery of an online post by the 14-year-old. The content of the post was not disclosed, however.
According to a TV report, one of the men allegedly paid $40 for sex with the teen; another is accused of exchanging marijuana for sex with her.
The news report went on to disclose that it is possible the teen will face criminal charges in the case as well.
Clearly, the three current defendants in the matter face the possibility of losing their freedom and the careers or educational aspirations they might have. The first step in protecting their rights is to sit down with a criminal defense attorney and go over their available options.
Source: WLOS, “Child Sex Crimes Arrests,” Nov. 5, 2013