FROM STAFF REPORTS
Brandon Dehart
BURNET — A 17-year-old male suspect accused of inappropriate sexual contact he described as “an accident” with a small child remains in the Burnet County Jail on $100,000 bond, Burnet police reported.
According to jail records, Brandon Dehart, 17, of Burnet was arrested and charged Jan. 21 with aggravated sexual assault of a child, under the age of 14, a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison if convicted.
Burnet police launched the investigation after receiving a statement from the girl’s parent and the child and from medical evidence they believe indicated physical “trauma” consistent with inappropriate sexual contact.
“We got the statement from the mother, the first outcry statement, then an audio and video recorded interview with the (alleged) victim,” Burnet Police Chief Paul Nelson said. “Through a sexual assault exam, it did show evidence that something did occur.”
Nelson said the accused teen cooperated with police and provided a statement.
“He said one thing (initially) that he was for sure he never touched the girl. Through the interview, he changed his story, admitting that he touched the girl, claiming that it was an accident,” he said. “How he told the story and the details he told corroborated with what the little girl said. It tells us it wasn’t accidental. It was intentional.”
The incident is believed to have occured within the past several months at a private residence in Burnet.
Burnet investigators are presenting the case to the 33rd/424th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for potential grand jury review.
editor@thepicayune.com
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