An Oklahoma mother courageously detained an HIV-positive youth sports coach, Donovan Scott Sheppard, at gunpoint after finding him sexually assaulting her young daughter in their home, as reported by Fox News Digital.
The local authorities revealed that the 39-year-old Sheppard, who had been coaching youth baseball in the region for several years, was involved in a bar brawl on January 13. Following the altercation, he was collected by the mother, with whom he was residing at the time of the incident.
The 12-year-old victim bravely disclosed to investigators, "[h]e raped me," after her mother stumbled upon the horrifying scene.
On the night of the bar fight, the minor was asleep when Sheppard and her mother returned home. The mother retired to bed, and Sheppard allegedly entered the girl's room. The mother later woke up to the shocking sight of Sheppard violating her daughter.
The police were promptly alerted, and upon their arrival, they found the mother holding Sheppard at gunpoint, as per various reports.
Sheppard, who had previously coached a team named the Oklahoma Aftermath, confessed during police interrogation that he was HIV-positive and had not used protection during the assault, as stated by the Kansas City Star.
The young girl revealed that this was not an isolated incident, alleging that Sheppard had raped her six times since she turned 11, including on her 12th birthday, as per the authorities.
Following the incident, Sheppard was arrested and is currently detained at the Cleveland County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Fox News Digital reported that he faces charges including "lewd or indecent proposals or acts to a child; engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses; exposing others to AIDS; rape, first degree; and rape by instrumentation."
The National Center for Victims of Crime reports that approximately 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys are victims of child sexual abuse. The report further states that during a single year in the U.S., 16% of individuals aged 14 to 17 have been sexually abused, and over a lifetime, 28% of U.S. youth in the same age bracket have suffered sexual abuse.
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