ANDERSON — A judge found probable cause today for Curtis Gaines to go to court on several charges of criminal sexual acts against minors.
Gaines, 33, is accused of molesting three girls, two of whom he was baby-sitting and the other was at a family function. The girls are relatives and were all under 10 at the time of the alleged acts and he was more than 20 years old.
Gaines appeared at a preliminary hearing today in 10th Circuit Court in Anderson.
He is charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, four counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, two counts sexual or lewd acts and three counts of obscene exposure. Two of the girls reported continuous and coerced sexual acts that happened more than 10 years ago, when one girl was between 4 and 6 years old and another was between 7 and 9. The other girl reported one instance of abuse, also more than 10 years ago, when she was between 4 and 5.
Assistant 10th Circuit Solicitor David Phillips said the abuse went unreported for years, in part because Gaines threatened to whip the girls.
An investigation began in 2008 after one of the girls, now a teenager, reported that Gaines had groped her as she was driving him to a store.
Phillips said some of the family members told police officers they believed that a statute of limitations was in place. But after the teen’s complaint in 2008, the family learned that no such limits exist for these charges.
Gaines’ attorney said the charge of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature listed his age as the only factor making it of a high and aggravated nature. Judge Dan Sharp said the sexual nature of Gaines’ groping, his age and the gender difference were enough to have the charge go to court.
