Posted 2:30 am Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Hawkins Man Gets 20 Years For Sexual Assault Of Mentally Disabled Women
QUITMAN -- A Hawkins man convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of two disabled women was sentenced to 20 years in prison for each count Tuesday in the 402nd Judicial District Court. He will ser ve the terms concurrently, officials said.
James Owen Spurlock, 63, changed his plea to guilty last month, immediately prior to the jury selection.
He was accused of sexually assaulting the two mentally disabled women while he worked at Touchstone Farms, a privately owned living facility for people with mental disabilities in Hawkins.
Special prosecutor Marcus Taylor said the offenses occurred over several months. He said the allegations first surfaced when the mother of one of the victims contacted authorities. During that investigation, officials learned that he had sexually assaulted another disabled woman at the facility, leading to a second arrest.
The facility, which housed a maximum of five residents at a time, was in the process of closing when the allegations surfaced. There were just three residents still living on the grounds -- the two women and a male resident. Spurlock, who was employed at the facility for at least six years, was primarily in charge of indoor and outdoor chores to maintain the two-story ranch home.
