New charges filed against accused child molesters

Troubles continue to mount for two U.S. citizens accused of the sexual exploitation of children in Punta Gorda. Not content with charges of unlawful carnal knowledge and two counts of indecent assault against Dennis Bruce and a single charge of indecent assault against Amos Capps, authorities have dug deep into their quiver of prosecutorial arrows to bring new charges against the pair. This afternoon in P.G. Magistrate’s Court they stood accused of the latest in designer crimes: trafficking in persons. The three counts refer to three different children who have told police that the two men, along with others as yet unprosecuted, took certain indecent liberties with them. Although the human trafficking legislation was meant to apply to people who transported people for the purpose of employing them against their will in the sex trade, Punta Gorda police believe the law is applicable here and claim they have a strong case. Bruce, already unable to make bail of ten thousand dollars plus a surety for the same amount on the earlier charges, had an additional five thousand plus surety added to his bill. Capps, free after posting his original bail of two thousand, five hundred dollars plus a similar surety, was put back in the lockup until he could find the next five thousand. The surety requirement was also changed to require that the person putting up the guarantee is a Belizean citizen. At news time neither man had raised sufficient funds and police told News 5 that come Wednesday morning they would be remanded to Hattieville Prison.

In related news a Toledo man has been arrested and charged with unlawful carnal knowledge. The arrest comes as the result of a report made by a thirteen year old girl who told police that during the month of December 2002 she engaged in sexual intercourse with her uncle. Unlike Bruce and Capps, the uncle in question will not have his name publicised because it could have the effect of identifying the alleged victim. Under unwritten agreements between the courts, police, and media the names of minors and victims of sexual crimes are not released to the public.