Statesville Man Who Worked With Troubled Children Faces Sex Charges

A man who worked with troubled children in Iredell County faces sex assault charges.

James Fredrick Frank, 38, of Statesville faces three counts of first-degree rape, three counts of first-degree sex offense and one count of indecent liberties. Detectives said the charges stem from more than six years of rape of a young female relative, but Det. Cheryl Hilderbrand said the fact that Frank worked on a daily basis with children is alarming.

“If I had to give a rating on a scale one to 10, for the severity and the length of time my victim has had to endure, it's going to be a 10,” said Hilderbrand, who has worked in the Special Victims Unit for 15 years. “It's the worst I've personally worked on.”

Frank had been helping students deal with their behavior in the classroom at Barium Springs Home for Children for about three years. The president of the home said authorities informed him of the charges early Wednesday and Frank has been suspended without pay.

"Our organization takes every action it can to ensure the safety of the children and families in our care," said John Koppelmeyer, president of the home.

Koppelmeyer said the home is not aware of any incidents involving Frank and clients of the home, but the charges are very upsetting.

The Barium Springs Home for Children released a statement that says all employees receive criminal background and driving record checks, drug screening and health care personnel registry checks. Koppelmeyer said Frank’s checks came up clean.

Frank is being held in the Iredell County jail on $350,000 bond.

The Barium Springs Home for Children provides residential care for abused or neglected children, child development classes for low-income families, alternative education for troubled teens, foster family programs and counseling services for ages 6 through 21.