Richard Henry Brower - Repeat Sex Offender

• 07/10/1981 INDECENT EXPOSURE
• 07/10/1981 INDECENT EXPOSURE 3RD CONVICTIION
  
• 06/10/2002 INDECENT EXPOSURE: 3RD OR SUBSEQUENT

Crossville Police have charged a man staying in a local inn with failing to report as a convicted sex offender and are investigating claims that the man molested a young girl.

Detectives and the District Attorney's Office are conferring as the investigation unfolds to determine whether to file formal charges in the molestation case at this time, or to present evidence to an upcoming session of the county's grand jury.

Richard Henry Brower, 61, Village Inn, was charged Sunday with one count of violation of the sex offender registry law and was ordered held without bond until an appearance in Cumberland County General Sessions Court Monday.

At that time Judge Larry Warner appointed the Public Defender's Office to represent Brower and he was to report back on Thursday. (That appearance took place after the Chronicle's deadline.)

Crossville Police were directed to the Village Inn Saturday shortly before 7 p.m. on a report of a child abuse/neglect case. Ptls. Richard Menzl and Elizabeth Diaz responded to the call and met with the parents of the young child.

The parents told police the nine-year-old girl told them that while playing in the parking lot, she was approached by a man from the next door apartment and invited into the man's room. Once inside the room, the child said, the man molested her.

Police spoke with a suspect in the case who told them that he had invited the child into his room and had given her snacks.

The parents were instructed by police to take the child to Cumberland Medical Center's emergency room for an examination and detectives and the Department of Children's Services were called to investigate further.

As the investigation unfolded, police learned that Brower had been living at the Inn for nearly three weeks and had not complied with the state's mandatory 48-hour reporting law that requires convicted sex offenders to report to local police jurisdiction upon moving into a community.

On Sunday, after learning of Brower's prior record, officers went back to arrest the suspect for not reporting. During that encounter he was questioned about the molestation incident from the day before and reportedly gave police a signed statement.

Police said this week that they had learned that Brower was convicted of a sex offense in Knox County but had never registered as a sex offender in that county.

A police affidavit of complaint, which is part of the arrest warrant, claims that Brower is out on bond from similar incidents in Roane County.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"

.........Sarah Tofte