BECKLEY, W.Va. – Beckley Police hope young victims who were allegedly assaulted by a man back in mid-December at Kohl’s department store in Beckley will tell an adult.
Beckley resident Henry Duncan, 35, was arrested on Dec.19 and charged with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse involving three young girls.
“We do feel there are other victims out there,” according to Cpl. M.G. Bragg of the Beckley Police Department. “We would hope they they come forward and we would be able to charge him with additional offenses.”
Duncan waived his right to a preliminary hearing last week. His bail was reduced from $225,00 to $150,000. However, so far he has not been able to post that amount.
Bragg said the store surveillance footage was critical in identifying Duncan, who eventually turned himself in. But the case remains troubling for Cpl. Bragg who said there are other victims out there who have not come forward.
“Based on some of the video surveillance that I’ve watched myself it does appear there are victims out there that didn’t even advise their parents. Therefore, parents wouldn’t know to contact us,” said Bragg.
He believes the young age of the victims has kept some of them from reporting the crime.
“Part of the problem is the way he perpetuated these incidents. It was very planned, made to seem almost incidental,” stressed Bragg. “I think some children didn’t even realize what had happened because of their age and the innocence there, they just didn’t realize what had occurred.”
Bragg said parents need to talk to their children to determine if they’ve been the victim of abuse.
If you have any information on the case call the Beckley Police Department at 304-256-1708.
First-degree sexual abuse is a felony and carries a potential sentence of 1-5 years in prison.