"Jane and John Doe" - Siblings (2007) - Wilkes NC

A man was given a lengthy prison sentence
Thursday afternoon in Wilkes Superior Court after a jury convicted him
of sexually molesting an 11-year-old girl and physically assaulting her
younger brother.

Jesse Wayne Sweet, 63, was convicted of first-degree sexual offense,
taking indecent liberties with a child, communicating threats and
misdemeanor child abuse. Jurors found him not guilty of first-degree
rape.

Judge
Edgar B. Gregory of Wilkesboro, Wilkes County's resident superior court
judge, sentenced Sweet to not less than 28 years nor more than 34 years
and four months in prison for first-degree sex offense. He consolidated
the other convictions into that conviction for the purpose of
sentencing.

Under North Carolina law, Sweet must serve the lower end of this sentence, 28 years, without possibility of parole.

Jurors
began their deliberations at 10:15 Wednesday morning and returned their
verdicts at 2:25 p.m. on Thursday. The trial began Monday.

Two
incidents of sexual abuse occurred in the girl's bedroom at her home
just northwest of Wilkesboro between November 2007 and the end of
January 2008, according to testimony. Sweet, who has a criminal record
dating back to the early 1970s, has been held in the Wilkes County jail
since being charged.

The
child initially revealed the incident to her aunt. An investigation was
initiated by Det. Linda Nichols of the Wilkes Sheriff's Department.

Cynthia
D. Stewart, a social worker at Brenner Children's Hospital in
Winston-Salem, did videotaped interviews with the girl and her brother.
The videotapes were shown to the jury during Ms. Stewart's testimony
Tuesday. Jurors requested and were allowed to view the girl's
videotaped interview on Thursday after a day of deliberations.

Ms.
Stewart said the child told her that she got off the bus from school at
her home and Sweet was inside the residence. Her mother was at the
hospital and Sweet was supposed to be looking after the child and her
brother.

Sweet "was acting strange" and the girl went to her bedroom to do her homework, she told Ms. Stewart.

Sweet came in the bedroom, pulled down his pants and pulled down the child's blue jean shorts, tearing them, Ms. Stewart said.

Sweet then raped her, she said. "It hurt," the child said.

As
he was leaving the bedroom, Sweet told the child that he would kill her
if she told anyone about the sexual abuse and that he would kill the
person she told.

The child said she left the bedroom and took a bath directly after the incident.

The girl also revealed an earlier incident in which Sweet sexually abused her with his hand.

Dr.
Sarah Sinal, a pediatrician at Brenner, testified that a physical
examination of the girl revealed internal damage which had healed. This
was clear evidence that she had been penetrated, the doctor said.

The
boy, who testified Monday, said that on one occasion he awakened Sweet,
who was asleep on a couch. Sweet became angry when the boy said he was
hungry and wanted supper, according to testimony.

Sweet,
who was wearing steel-toed boots, responded by kicking the boy so hard
that he was unable to breathe, according to testimony. The blow
resulted in the child passing blood in days afterward.

This incident brought about the misdemeanor child abuse charge.

Prior
to sentencing, Gregory asked Sweet if he would like to make a
statement. "I don't want to say anything to any damn body," Sweet
responded. He then vehemently denied committing any acts of abuse and
accused the victims and their family members of telling lies about him.

Assistant
District Attorney Kisa Posey, prosecuting for the state, asked Gregory
to give Sweet the maximum sentence possible for his "horrendous crimes."

Sweet's "conduct was truly reprehensible" and his victims and their family members "are terrified of him," Ms. Posey said.

During
the sentencing hearing, defense attorney Brendan Edge noted that, given
the fact Sweet is in poor health and is already age 63, the prison term
in this case essentially amounts to a life sentence.

In
an interview after the trial, Ms. Posey said she was proud of the way
both children conducted themselves. "They were very brave in getting up
there" and testifying. "I'm very happy for them that they're not going
to have to worry about (Sweet) anymore."

Ms.
Posey said she was impressed by the jury, that it was clear by the
lengthy deliberations that jurors took their duty very seriously.