A North Carolina Democratic state representative was arrested and charged Wednesday with the rape of a teenage girl.
Rep. Cecil Brockman, who represents Guilford County, is charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a child and two counts of rape of a person between the ages of 13 and 15, Fox 8 reported Thursday.
The media outlet said:
The warrants allege that in August of this year, Brockman “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously committed and attempted to commit and attempted to commit a lewd and lascivious act” with a 15-year-old victim.
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He was not issued bail upon his arrest and the magistrate’s order alleges he attempted to locate the victim at a hospital and leverage his representative status to make contact with the victim.
The representative is being held at the Guilford County Jail and is expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon, according to WRAL.
The North Carolina Democratic Party called for Brockman’s resignation, saying in a statement: “The profound seriousness of these criminal charges makes it impossible for him to effectively represent his community.” »
In 2023, Brockman would have had a university youth center appointed in his honor:
Meanwhile, North Carolina Democratic Leader Robert Reives addressed the allegations against Brockman.
“As we continue to learn more about the allegations against Rep. Brockman this morning, it has become clear that he is unable to continue serving in the House of Representatives. Rep. Brockman must resign immediately,” he said.
House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) also called for the representative’s resignation, according to WUNC.
Hall wrote in a statement: “The accusations against Rep. Brockman are shocking and extremely serious. Given the evidence made public, he should resign immediately so that these accusations do not distract from the work of the North Carolina House.”
The outlet explained the process if Brockman decides to submit a resignation letter to the Speaker of the House.
“At this point, the Guilford County Democratic Party Executive Committee would select a replacement for Brockman. Only executive committee members who live in Brockman’s district would be able to vote for his replacement, consistent with North Carolina rules for replacing members of the General Assembly,” the report states.
