Butler County man arrested decades after alleged sexual abuse of children
Published 11:28 am Thursday, September 17, 2015
A Butler County man is behind bars for crimes he allegedly committed more than three decades ago.
Allen Wayne Schofield, 59, of Georgiana, was arrested Tuesday and has been charged with four counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old; four counts of sexual abuse, first degree; sodomy, second degree; sexual abuse, second degree; and eight counts of sodomy, first degree.
Schofield is being held at the Butler County Correctional Facility on a $4.5 million bond.
Allen Wayne Schofield
Butler County Sheriff Kenny Harden said one of the alleged victims in the case came forward on March 19 of this year — nearly 36 years after the abuse began. The incidents took place between March 30, 1979 and 1983.
“Our investigator did an outstanding job investigating this case,” Harden said. “He interviewed the victims that are now living in Georgia and Florida, so it took a lot of leg work, but he was able to get an indictment. This was something the victims needed closure on.”
Butler County District Attorney Charlotte Tesmer said that due to the age of one of the victims during the abuse, Schofield faces the possibility of life in prison for sexual abuse of a child under the age of six.
Tesmer said one of the children, a stepchild of Schofield’s, was three when the abuse began.
“We’re looking at some pretty hefty time,” Tesmer said. “Each of the first-degree sodomy charges carries a minimum of 20 years and the sexual abuse of a child under 12 and the second-degree sodomy charge each carry a minimum of 10 years.”
“I think it was a relief for these now grown siblings to finally get the secret out,” Tesmer said. “When this was going on some of the siblings knew the others were being abused, but didn’t know about others. The girls knew about each other, the boys did not know. It wasn’t until they were grown that they all learned about what had happened to their siblings. When we called them and let them know he had been arrested it was a large release for them.”
Tesmer said the children ranged in age from three to 11 when the abuse started.
“Because there were other children around him during this same time period, we are continuing to interview them,” Tesmer said. “Obviously they are adults now, but we want to make sure there aren’t more victims.”
Schofield’s case is expected to go to trial in December.
