Suspect will face second sex charge
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on December 3, 2009 1:46 PM
David Arron Roberts
DUDLEY -- An Emmaus Church Road man accused of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl has been charged with another sex offense, allegedly with a 3-year-old female, authorities said.
Wayne County Sheriff's Office Detective Sgt. Tammy Odom charged David Arron Roberts, 30, with the first offense a little over a week ago, on Nov. 24.
Roberts was jailed under a $1 million bond on that charge, court records show.
On Wednesday, authorities said the Dudley man now faces another first-degree sex offense and was jailed under a new $1 million bond.
Detectives said the initial investigation led to the re-examination of older allegations against Roberts, which included a complaint filed in 2008 about alleged sexual abuse of a 3-year-old girl.
As detectives looked into the allegations involving the 5-year-old, new evidence turned up in the older case, authorities said.
Wayne County Sheriff's Office Capt. Tom Effler said because of the ages of the children involved and the nature of the charges, he could release only limited details about the investigation.
"(The evidence for the new charge) came up during the investigation of the last case. That's about the only thing I can tell you right now," the Sheriff's Office captain said.
Detective Sgt. Larry Mitchell assisted Sgt. Odom in the investigation and arrest, the captain said.
A first-degree sexual offense is a Class B1 felony under state law, and the maximum punishment is a life sentence without possibility for parole.
A person can be found guilty of sexual offense in the first degree if a child is under the age of 13 and the defendant is at least 12 years old and four years older than the victim.
The charge can also be levied if a person "by force or against the will of the other person" uses a deadly weapon, inflicts serious injury, or is aided or abetted by one or more accomplices, according to state law.