A teen accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl pleaded not guilty Monday at a hearing in Bowie County.
J'Rome "Bone" Shepard, 17, appeared with First Assistant Public Defender Will Williams before 202nd District Judge Leon Pesek, Jr., for arraignment Monday on a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child in the Bi-State Justice Building in downtown Texarkana.
Shepard allegedly made the child "pinky swear" that she wouldn't tell of the abuse and warned that if she told, she'd be in trouble, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. Shepard, a distant relative of the child's, allegedly assaulted the girl several times during a weekend in May when Shepard was staying with her family at their home in Bowie County.
The girl's mother reportedly noticed her daughter's behavior had changed, prompting the mother to ask if something was wrong. The girl responded by making the accusation of sexual abuse involving Shepard.
After reporting the alleged sexual assault to the Bowie County Sheriff's Office, the girl was interviewed at the Children's Advocacy Center in Texarkana.
"She even added that 'Bone' reassured her when she was reluctant by telling her that he had already been with her 13-year-old cousin," the affidavit states.
Shepard, a resident of Karnack, Texas, is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child. The offense is punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison. Shepard is currently in Bowie County custody. Bail is set at $100,000. Pesek scheduled Shepard to return to court for a pretrial hearing next month.
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