Tyler

By CASEY KNAUPP
Staff Writer

An 8-year-old girl - the youngest of three siblings who were sexually exploited in the "Mineola Swingers' Club case - testified Thursday that Patrick "Booger Red" Kelly did "bad" and "nasty" things to her at the club.

Kelly, 41, Tyler, is on trial for engaging in organized criminal activity - forcing the girl's two older siblings to have sex with each other for his financial gain - on Aug. 1, 2004. He could face five years to life in prison if convicted by the seven-woman, five-man Smith County jury in 241st District Judge Jack Skeen Jr.'s court.

The 8-year-old girl, who was 5 when she was removed from her home by Child Protective Services in 2005, testified for two hours. The girl, who is small for her age and can barely see over the microphone, drew several pictures of buildings and other objects for the defense.

The girl identified "Booger Red" in the courtroom, when she pointed to Kelly and said she knew him because "he was at the club" where "bad things" happened. She said her and her siblings, as well as her aunt and other kids, had to take their clothes off at the club. They also had to go to "kindergarten", where they played with dolls, and "Booger Red" was there, she said.

Sheila Sones, whom she lived with, served food at the club.

The girl said she remembered doing "bad plays" where they did "nasty stuff." When she was asked to detail what the bad, nasty stuff they did was by defense attorney Tina Brumbelow, the girl said they would do bad stuff "under my dress." She was then repeatedly asked what exactly was done to her and the girl said she didn't want to say; then agreed to tell Ms. Brumbelow if it was in her ear. Ms. Brumbelow stood by the victim as she testified to what the adults did to her. When asked who did it to her, she said "Booger Red," Shauntel Mayo, Jamie Pittman and "all the other people at the club." She said the kids would sometimes do bad stuff to each other too.

She said she went to the club "all the time." When asked what happened in certain rooms of the club, she said, "the stuff I told you about earlier." She also talked about a tree house where "bad stuff" happened.

The girl said there were naked pictures of her and the other kids hanging inside the club.

The victims in the case include the girl's 11-year-old sister and 9-year-old brother, as well as their 10-year-old aunt. A 15-year-old daughter of one of the co-defendants was also allegedly sexually abused.

CPS INVESTIGATION

CPS Supervisor Kristi Hachtel supervised the case involving the three siblings. She said the two older siblings were removed from the home of Shauntel Mayo and Jamie Pittman in March 2005. The CPS investigation began in November 2004 on allegations of neglect and drug abuse.

When the children were put into foster care, their behavior issues caused CPS workers concern. Ms, Hachtel said the girl, who was 7 in March 2005, acted out sexually and "hushed" her brother, who was 6, when he tried to say something to adults. The boy was also aggressive, had anger issues and had encopresis, not being able to control bowel movements, which can be a sign of sexual abuse. At that time there had been no outcry of sexual abuse, she said, adding that CPS tries to work with children to determine the root of their behavior so the children can tell them what's going on. She said it takes time for children to tell what happened. She said the perpetrators go through a grooming process, first making the kids believe sexual abuse is normal, then threatening them to not tell.

She said the kindergarten where the children were taught how to perform sex acts and was sometimes held at Kelly's house, was a grooming process in the case.

When the two siblings began telling of the sexual allegations against Kelly and the others, they also began to learn of the same allegations coming from their younger sister, who was 5 and living with Sheila Sones. The children had not been in contact with each other for months, she said. The oldest girl also told that her youngest sister had been abused as well.

"We were scared," she said. "We had a child out there and she was going through the same thing. We knew we needed to act immediately." She said the youngest sibling acted out sexually in the foster home.

The children's aunt was removed from her home about a week later because the other children said she was also sexually abused in kindergarten and at the club, Ms. Hachtel said. The aunt went to another foster family and made similar allegations, although she had no contact with the other children until a few months ago, she said.

Ms. Hachtel said the case was more difficult for her than other cases she's seen because she has a 6-year-old daughter - the same age the children were when they were "trained to be sexual puppets of adults." She said they have moved the children from being victims of sexual abuse to being survivors but they still have problems.

Ms. Hachtel said she believes what the children say is true and that "Booger Red' was directly involved in the "child sexual exploitation ring."

She said the kids did not undergo a sexual assault examination because their outcries were made a long time after the offenses so it would be pointless. She said there was no physical evidence of sexual abuse in the case but, she added, she had the children's outcries.

Ms. Hachtel said she alerted Assistant Smith County District Attorney Tiffany Wickel, who represents CPS, about the allegations of sexual abuse. Ms. Wickel reviewed the Mineola Police Department's record of their investigation, which was opened and closed in one day and concerned Ms. Wickel. She said Ms. Wickel then contacted Texas Ranger Phillip Kemp to conduct an investigation.

Ms. Hachtel said Kelly's son was also removed from CPS but she was not involved.

She said the victims in the case never personally told her of the sexual abuse allegations concerning "Booger Red" but she is aware of their outcries. She said during the first two interviews of the oldest sibling at the Children Advocacy Center, the girl never said anything about "Booger Red" or the other defendants and didn't make allegations of sexual abuse.

She said based on the investigation and all of the children's corroborated outcries, she believed Kelly was a participant in the grooming process of kindergarten and at the club. "He was a part of it every step of the way."

Ms. Hachtel said the case was about five children stripped of their innocence, forced to play adult games, were given drugs, were denied basic things children should have and were preyed upon by adults who exerted power and control over them. She said the defendants "have caused harm to these children ... that we will never ever be able to completely fix."

The paternal grandmother of the three siblings testified that after the two oldest siblings had been removed from the home of Shauntel Mayo and Jamie Pittman by CPS, the youngest, who lived with Sheila Sones, was visiting her when she talked about how she and another young girl jumped while the other, older kids danced and Ms. Mayo and Pittman got the money. She said she wasn't supposed to talk about it. The grandmother called CPS a few days later, she said, adding she learned the other siblings were saying the same things.

She said the little girl never mentioned "Booger Red" to her. But, she said, when she earlier drove the older siblings around, they would point to a house in her neighborhood and tell her it was where "Booger Red" lived.

The grandmother said she believes the children and once asked the boy why he hadn't told her about the sexual abuse. Because he would get into trouble, he said. She said she still sees the children, who are happy now, and what happened to them breaks her heart.

Cindy Swoapes, who used the building as a daycare before it was turned into the "Mineola Swingers' Club," testified she leased the building to a man named Russ Adams who claimed it was going to be used as a place where disabled children could come with their families. She said once she found out it was being used as a swingers club, she posted eviction signs all over the building. It has since been sold to a nursing home, she said.

Although the club is in Wood County, the defendants were charged in Smith County because they lived here and reportedly held "kindergarten" at their houses. Prosecutors claim the offenses began and ended in Smith County when the children left and returned to the homes. Ms. Mayo and Jamie Pittman have been convicted and sentenced to life in prison and face additional charges. Dennis Boyd Pittman, Rebecca Pittman, Shelia Darlene Sones and Jimmy Dale Sones, await trials.

Patrick "Booger Red" Kelly
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