Linda Stewart
Posted April 16, 2010 at 12:45 p.m.

WICHITA FALLS — CROWELL (Special) - A Foard County jury acquitted Allen Linard Morcom, 46 Thursday evening in 46th Judicial District court of continuous sexual abuse of a young child.

District Attorney Staley Heatly said the prosecution against Morcom was the first local prosecution under the Jessica’s Law statute passed by the Texas legislature in 2007. Pursuant to that law, the minimum penalty upon conviction is twenty-five years to life in prison.

“I’m disappointed that we didn’t obtain the conviction, but that is why we have a jury to hear each case,” Heatly said.

Evidence presented at the trial indicated that Morcom was living in Crowell with a woman and her two daughters, ages 8 and 6. The older girl told a babysitter of sexual abuse and the babysitter informed the girl’s mother. Neither Child Protective Services nor law enforcement officials were informed. CPS officials became involved in July of 2009. The child continued to describe alleged abuse by Morcom and the children were removed from the home.

Morcom was charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child and the girl's mother was charged with child endangerment for failing to protect the children from the abuse.

Heatly said in light of the verdict in the Morcom case, the charges against the mother would be dismissed.

“If we can’t prove that the child was sexually abused, we certainly can’t prove that the mother endangered the child by leaving her alone with the father,” Heatly said.

Morcom was represented by attorney Bruce Harris of Wichita Falls.

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2010/apr/16/sex-assault-suspect-acquitted/

Emphasis added by H4K Editor