Former Hays County deacon accused of sexually assaulting young girls for years
Multiple sex abuse charges could be filed soon against a former Baptist deacon. 85-year-old Charles Sweet was charged with two counts of indecency with a child by contact on Wednesday, and investigators say there are more victims.
At Hays Hills Baptist Church in Buda, the leadership is grappling with the indecency with a child charges against the former deacon. Meantime, Austin Police Detective Eric Guevara made a plea to other victims. "I'd like to ask if you're ready to come forward, to please contact the Austin Police Department," said Det. Guevara.
According to the affidavits, Sweet admitted to the crimes against multiple young girls in Hays and Travis counties. At another point in his interview with detectives he said he "is attracted to girls younger than 12 years old."
The church released a statement saying Sweet was stripped of his membership and barred from even attending, after a 14-year-old girl made an outcry to Pastor David Sweet, who is Charles Sweet's son. That was September of 2012, but no charges were filed then. It is one of the two cases in Travis County filed Wednesday.
In January of this year, another woman made an outcry that Sweet had molested her as a young girl in a trailer where they held their youth ministries.
Detectives say the investigation is not done. "The investigation both here and in Hays County revealed that there's multiple other now adult female survivors," Det. Guevara said. "He also victimized some here in Austin at his residen...
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director