How Could You? Hall of Shame-Roy Dean Pruett UPDATED

Deputy District Attorney Carol Griffith, during a hearing for Pruett this morning, told District Judge William Russell that the charges stem from three male victims, but investigators are still working the case.

Griffith said prosecutors anticipate filing at least one more charge against Pruett, and there may be additional ones as well.

“The information seems to indicate there may be other victims dating back to the 1970s, when he was working at Gulf States YMCA,” she said in court. “There is significant evidence, and more coming in on a daily basis.”

Investigators said last month that they believe Pruett was sexually abusing children at his Gadsden residence. Pruett was a former employee of Eagle Rock Boys Ranch. A statement released by the ranch last month stated Pruett was immediately put on administrative leave the moment the ranch was notified of an investigation.

Eagle Rock Executive Director Scott Hilton said at the time Pruett had an FBI and Child Abuse Registry background check that showed no offenses, and had a 30-year career working with youth.

Pruett’s attorney, John Floyd, said during the hearing that Pruett maintains his innocence and has a 40-year career working with children.

“For 39-and-a-half of those years, there’s never been any claim of anything going on,” Floyd said. Floyd suggested bond be lowered to about $125,000, with him monitored by county corrections.

Griffith countered that Pruett had a prior allegation that was not investigated, and that he attempted to contact the victims in the case when he was aware of the investigation. Griffith said Pruett’s release would have “a chilling effect” on other potential victims coming forward and information being gathered in the cases.

Russell told attorneys he would release a ruling on bond later.”

Prosecutor says child sexual abuse cases involving Gadsden man may stretch back to 1970s[Alabama 8/4/14 by William Thorton]

“A Gadsden man who until recently worked at a home for at-risk youth is in the Etowah County Detention Center on $300,000 bond facing child sexual abuse and sodomy charges involving two children.

Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin said in a news release that Roy Dean Pruett, 61, was arrested today on two counts of first degree sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old, and two counts of first degree sodomy.

Investigators say the charges stem from Pruett sexually abusing two children dating back to Nov. 1, 2012. Etowah County DHR and the James M. Barrie Center for Children assisted with the investigation.

“This is a terrible crime involving innocent children and reports of this type are becoming too common,”  Entrekin said in a statement. “These children are brave; they came forward to help us put this predator behind bars.”

Eagle Rock Boys’ Ranch, a home for at-risk youth in Attalla, posted a statement on its website saying Pruett had been an employee there.

Eagle Rock Executive Director Scott Hilton released a two-page statement saying Etowah County DHR received a report of abuse on July 8. The report did not come from the ranch, he said. Following a phone call that day with a DHR investigator, Hilton said he placed Pruett on administrative leave with instructions to have no contact with Eagle Rock residents.

“Eagle Rock has cooperated fully with the investigation and the Sheriff’s Department has told us repeatedly that neither the ranch nor any other employees are being accused of any criminal activity,” Hilton said, stating that there is no reason to believe the victims in the case are ranch residents.

“Furthermore, the nature of the questioning we have received from investigators leads us to believe the alleged misconduct occurred at a location other than Eagle Rock. There has been no request for video footage from our facilities nor has anyone toured them,” he continued.

Hilton said Pruett had an FBI and Child Abuse Registry background check that showed no offenses, and had a 30-year career working with youth.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim(s),” Hilton said. “In the midst of much confusion and activity related to this ‘case’ we are most mindful that a child’s life has been negatively affected and forever changed. May we not lose sight of this fact…The past seven days have been the most difficult days I’ve had since Eagle Rock opened in 1994. Even though I am not accused of any crime, I bear the responsibility of knowing I hired Mr. Pruett and thus endorsed him as a person who could be trusted.”

The investigation is continuing.”

Etowah County man faces child sexual abuse, sodomy charges[Alabama 7/17/14 by William Thorton]

“Etowah County investigators have added another charge of first degree sexual abuse in the case of an Etowah County man formerly employed at a home for at-risk youth.

Roy Dean Pruett, 61, of Gadsden, already faces two counts of first degree sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old and two counts of first degree sodomy.

Investigators said today in a news release that they believe Pruett was sexually abusing children at his Gadsden residence. Pruett was a former employee of Eagle Rock Boys Ranch. A statement released yesterday by the ranch stated Pruett was immediately put on administrative leave the moment the ranch was notified of an investigation.

Eagle Rock Executive Director Scott Hilton said Pruett had an FBI and Child Abuse Registry background check that showed no offenses, and had a 30-year career working with youth.

Pruett was arrested yesterday. The added charge came after another victim came forward with reports of abuse, Sheriff Todd Entrekin said in a release. Authorities now believe the pattern of abuse stretches back to 2011, one year earlier than investigators said yesterday.

“We feel sure there are others that have been victimized by this predator.”  Entrekin said. “If you are a victim and have had any contact with Roy Pruett please, contact the sheriff’s office.”

Pruett is being held in the Etowah County Detention Center on a $375,000 cash bond.”

Investigation into alleged child sexual abuse by Etowah County man expands [Alabama 7/18/14 by William Thorton]

REFORM Puzzle Piece

 

Update: “The bond for a Gadsden man arrested last month on child sexual abuse charges who was formerly employed at a home for at-risk youth has been lowered.

District Judge William Russell today ordered bond for Roy Dean Pruett, 61, of Gadsden, be set at $125,000, and his release be supervised through community corrections. He was released from the Etowah County Detention Center later in the day.

Pruett faces three counts of first degree sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old and two counts of first degree sodomy.

His bond had originally been set at $375,000, but his attorney John Floyd earlier this week argued the amount was too high. Floyd said at that time that Pruett maintains his innocence and has a 40-year career working with children.

Under the terms of Russell’s court order, Pruett is prohibited from leaving a five-county area without written permission from the court and district attorney’s office. Among several restrictions, he is also ordered not to have any contact with any of the victims or their families, not to have any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18, or with any employees of Eagle Rock Boys Ranch, where he previously worked.

Investigators said last month that they believe Pruett was sexually abusing children at his Gadsden residence. Pruett was a former employee of Eagle Rock Boys Ranch. A statement released by the ranch last month stated Pruett was immediately put on administrative leave the moment the ranch was notified of an investigation.

Eagle Rock Executive Director Scott Hilton said at the time Pruett had an FBI and Child Abuse Registry background check that showed no offenses.

Prosecutors told Russell on Monday they anticipate filing another charge against Pruett, and that additional information indicates there may be victims going back to the 1970s.”

Update 2: Thanks to commenter Ch for this update.

“Shortly after pleading guilty to sodomizing and abusing teenage boys at an at-risk youth camp, Roy Dean Pruett looked across a court room at his victims this afternoon.

“I do apologize,” he said, a few seconds after a victims’ advocate urged him to.

Pruett, 63, of Gadsden, pleaded guilty to two counts of first degree sodomy and three counts of first degree sexual abuse in an Etowah County courtroom. According to a plea agreement, Pruett was sentenced to 20 years for sodomy and 10 years for sexual abuse.

The sentences will run concurrently, and Pruett will be required to serve a five-year split sentence.

Pruett also thanked Judge Allen Millican for “giving him to time to get his affairs in order.” His apology came at the urging of Charles Hartsfield, who was tapped to speak for the victims in court.

“We are glad he has finally admitted to his guilt,” he told Millican. Hartsfield then addressed Pruett. “I pray that you get right with God the way you told these kids to, and I think you should apologize for what you’ve done to them,” he said.

A brief moment after stepping out of court, Pruett was led back in so deputies could cuff him in the presence of the victims and take him into custody to begin serving his sentence. One person clapped as he was led away.

Prosecutors said several boys who lived at Eagle Rock Ranch between 2011 and 2014 were interviewed during the investigation. Four of the boys said Pruett took them from the ranch to the house he shared with his elderly mother overnight, where he sexually abused them.

However, prosecutors said after the plea that they were convinced Pruett had victimized several others. Deputy District Attorney Carol Griffith said prosecutors heard from people going back 25 to 30 years “who didn’t feel like they could come forward, for one reason or another.”

Pruett, arrested in 2014 on the charges, had a decades-long career as a youth coach and earlier, as a worker at a YMCA in Etowah County. However, upon his arrest two years ago, Pruett had an FBI and Child Abuse Registry background check that showed no offenses, and had a 30-year career working with youth.

Still, Griffith said it is unusual in a case of this nature for a perpetrator to apologize to his victims.

“We’re glad for their sakes he did that,” she said. “That’s more than what they usually get. What we were dealing with here was the worst kind of abuse, because these children had no other place they could turn. This was a very disturbing case.”

Alabama man apologizes in court to victims of child sex crimes[Al.com 8/12/16 by William Thornton]