A married mother from North Carolina has been arrested and charged with 80 counts of statutory rape, indecent liberties with a child.
Sara Jean Sellers — a 44-year-old from Shallotte — was arrested Friday.
The alleged victims were two boys who were 12 years old at the time of the reported child sex crimes, WWAY-TV reported.
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Sellers was charged with a total of 80 child sex crimes: 20 counts of statutory sex offense with a child under the age of 15 years old, 10 counts of statutory sex offense with a child by an adult, 20 counts of statutory rape of a child under the age of 15 years old, 10 counts of statutory rape of a child by an adult, and 20 counts of indecent liberties with a child.
Sellers is being detained at the Brunswick County Detention Center. Sellers’ attorney requested a $400,000 secured bond, but the judge set her bond at $2 million.
Sellers appeared in court Friday; prosecutors said the alleged child sex abuse happened between 2018 and 2019.
The alleged victims were two boys who were 12 years old at the time of the reported child sex crimes, WWAY-TV reported, adding that detectives have interviewed “two other boys.”
Sellers’ attorney reportedly stated in court that Sellers has been married for 22 years and has two daughters.
The investigation is ongoing.
The sheriff’s office stated that it “remains committed to protecting the community’s most vulnerable and ensuring that justice is served” and is urging anyone with information about the case or any others “who may have been victimized” to contact Det. Shepherd at 910-363-6976.
Anything else?
Citing statistics from Child Protective Services agencies, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network reported that approximately 63,000 children are victims of sexual abuse annually — and 9% of child sex abuse perpetrators were women.
An estimated 66% of child victims are between the ages of 12 and 17, and statistics show that of the victims under the age of 18, 18% are male.
Statistics also show that one in nine girls and one in 20 boys under the age of 18 will experience sexual abuse or be the victim of a sexual assault.
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