VIDOR — A Beaumont man has been indicted for multiple counts continuous Sexual Abuse of a child.
Charles Grant Jr., 49, was accused by three girls, ages 7 to 10-years-old, of molesting them at a storage unit he was renting, according to the affidavit.
The girls claimed that he would take one at a time into the storage unit and have the other two keep watch while he molested each girl.
Grant would then pay each girl and take them shopping with the money he had given them.
The attacks happened between 2015 and 2017 before the girls made an outcry.
Prosecutor Kim Pipkin has been trying cases like these for about two years. She said this one stands out as one of the most horrific.
"On a scale of my cases where even the most minimal thing somebody can be charged with is still terrible because it involves a child, this is certainly one of the worst ones because you have the continual sexual abuse," said Pipkin.
She explained continuous sexual abuse of a child was passed into law in 2007. It's intended to differentiate from aggravated sexual assault or indecency with a child. Pipkin says continuous sexual abuse of a child carries a heavier punishment than aggravated sexual assault or indecency with a child, with a minimum of 25 years and no parole.
Pipkin explained the abuse was discovered after the mother of the victims started asking questions when things started to not sit quite right with her. After the first child made an outcry, the other children followed with similar stories.
Grant was court appointed an attorney and is being held on a $60,000 bond. He's been in jail since May 7th, and his first court date in July.
Sexual assault is a topic Donna Ledit and her husband are all too familiar with, after losing their daughter. Chelsea, Ledit's daughter, was sexually abused by a relative at 14 years old.
Ledit said Chelsea went from being active in school, an honors student, and a dancer to totally shutting down after the abuse took place.
As a nurse, Ledit noticed something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what, so she reached out to a councilor. They said Chelsea had all the signs of being abused, but she denied it.
It wasn't until her abuser was no longer a part of their family that she felt safe to tell her mom what happened to her.
After 11 years of battling post traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety from the abuse, Chelsea passed away.
Although Chelsea lost her battle, Ledit and her husband continue to fight the war through their non-profit resale shop in Vidor.
After her passing, Ledit learned Chelsea had been reaching out to victims and giving them strength to continue on. The night of her visitation, Ledit said she received a Facebook message from one of the victims.
"Just to paraphrase the letter, it said 'Chelsea saved me, she gave me hope that I could go on with my life,'" recalled Ledit.
Ledit and her husband decided to continues Chelsea's work through the store.
"We run strictly on donations, and we give back to abused children, and that was Chelsea's heart, to do that, so we're just doing it in a different way to help give them hope," said Ledit.
However, it's not just a store that offers monetary donations. Ledit went on to explain that it's a safe space for both victims and their families to seek resources and counseling.
She said part of what they do is educate parents.
"Someone that pays that extra attention to that child, you as a parent think 'my child is going to be safe,' but their the ones usually doing it because that's part of the grooming process," explained Ledit.
She said the most important thing to do if your child comes to you and says they've been abused is to tell them you believe them, and stress that whatever happened was not their fault.
Ledit said one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
One resource she promotes is the Garth House, a children's advocacy program.
The Garth House "Stewards of Children" trains individuals, organizations, and community groups to help reduce child sexual abuse in our community. It's offered the third Tuesday of each month from 5:30-7:30 p.m. They're located at 1855 McFaddin in Beaumont. The cost is $10 per person/family, and a certificate is provided upon completion of the program.
To RSVP call (409) 838-9084