Defense says no physical evidence ties former deputy to crime

GEORGETOWN, S.C. — A jury is expected to decide today if a former Georgetown County deputy sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in 2007.

Testimony in the trial of Ron Christopher Crabtree, 36, began Tuesday with Assistant Solicitor Nancy Livesay telling the jury there is no physical evidence to tie Crabtree to the crime and there are no eyewitnesses.

Crabtree is charged with criminal sexual conduct-second degree and performing a lewd act on a minor.

While there was no testimony Tuesday denying some touching may have occurred, the defense — headed by attorney Reuben Goude — began laying a foundation to show no actual intercourse took place.

The teenage girl — now an 11th grader living in Ohio — was the first to testify. She said she trusted Crabtree because he is a relative.

The Georgetown Times is not mentioning the exact relationship between the two in order to try to protect the identity of the alleged victim.

During her testimony, she said the first time Crabtree touched her in an inappropriate manner was when they were sitting on a love seat in her living room watching the movie “Dirty Dancing."

That was about three weeks after the teen and her family moved to Pawleys Island from Ohio.

The acts continued “a couple of times a week” but after a while it was more, she testified.

The nature of the acts also changed over time, going from Crabtree touching her on the outside of her clothing to inside her clothing.

She said about seven months after the acts began, Crabtree forced her to have sex.

“I told him to stop,” she said.

After Crabtree let her go, the teen ran into a bathroom and cried, she said.

“I felt very dirty and disgusted,” she testified. “I scrubbed every inch of body to get off the dirt I felt like.”

The teen said she was too scared at first to tell anybody but finally confided in family members.

During cross examination of the teen by Goude, it was revealed the girl underwent counseling in 2005 and 2006 because she said she was “hearing voices” and “seeing visions.”

The girl, while on the stand, said her counseling sessions began after a voice told her she should kill her mother.

Goude also persuaded the judge to allow testimony about the teen’s other sexual activity.

The defense says the girl did not want her father to find out she was having sex with her boyfriend.

According to the defense, when the teen’s father threatened to send her to Planned Parenthood to be checked out, she then said Crabtree had sex with her.

Although the teen had told her family Crabtree had touched her, she never said anything about him having sex with her before the Planned Parenthood threat, according to statements made in court.

In other testimony

• South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agent Kathy Bass testified state police got involved at the request of Sheriff Lane Cribb since the accused was a deputy.

She also said an incident report was never written by the deputy who responded to the original call.

She said an incident report should have been written.

• The alleged victim's step-mother testified she was the one who called child services in October, 2007 after her stepdaughter told her Crabtree had raped her.

She said she is also the first one who called the Georgetown County Sheriff's Office about the allegations.

 Crabtree worked for the Sheriff’s Office for two-and-a-half years prior to his arrest.

Testimony in the case is expected to conclude Wednesday.

By Scott Harper

sharper@gtowntimes.com