Teenage baby sitter charged with sex offense
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on September 11, 2008 1:34 PM
A Seven Springs 17-year-old baby-sitting for a family he knows is accused of molesting a 3-year-old, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office says.
Lonnie Aaron Taylor, Ada Stroud Road, knew the family of his alleged victim well, Sheriff's Office Capt. Tom Effler said.
"(He's) acquainted to the family, yes, and he was baby-sitting the child," Effler said.
The alleged incident occurred Tuesday night, around 11, and Detective Sgt. Robert Chunn is handling the investigation.
The accused 17-year-old is a neighbor of the family, authorities said.
Taylor's charges include first-degree sexual offense and crime against nature, according to a news release.
Crimes against nature are in Subchapter VII of North Carolina law, a chapter dealing with "public morality and decency."
The passage denoting a crime against nature as a Class I felony reads, "If any person shall commit the crime against nature, with mankind or beast, he shall be punished as a Class I felon."
A first-degree sexual offense is classified as a Class B1 felony in North Carolina.
A first-degree sexual offense can be any sexual act with a child under 13 where the defendant is at least 12 years old and four years older than his or her victim.
A sexual offense can also be categorized as an offense of the first degree if it is against the will of the victim, using a deadly weapon, involves serious injury or if one or more people helps in committing the crime.