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Big Brothers volunteer in court, accused of child sex assaults

By Mark Becker, wsoctv.com
By Mark Becker, wsoctv.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters is accused of multiple sex assaults on a child.

Reporter Mark Becker first tweeted the story Tuesday morning.

Detectives worked late into the night Monday on the investigation. Early Tuesday they took Ryan Michael Hill, 38, to jail.

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He was booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail around 4:30 a.m.

Around 6 p.m. Thursday, the 16-year-old male victim notified Westover Division patrol officers that he had been sexually assaulted by Hill. Crimes Against Children detectives were notified and immediately began an investigation.

During the investigation the victim told detectives that he was matched with Hill while he was enrolled with the Big Brother Big Sister program since he was 12 years old.

The victim stated that he has been sexually assaulted over the past two years.

In a news conference Tuesday afternoon police said the teenage boy was courageous to come forward.

"It's a shock to the conscience of the public, and they are also very difficult to investigate as well," said Capt. Jackie Hulsey.
               
Hulsey said that Hill had refused to talk with detectives who questioned him Monday night, but that they searched his home and did find evidence to corroborate the boy's allegations.
               
She said that Hill was only working with one boy through the program and that his job does not bring him in contact with children. They don't believe there are other victims.
               
"I would hope that if anyone else was a victim out there that they would come forward," Hulsey said. "Aside from that we don't have anything leading us to believe there were any other victims."

READ: Big Brothers Big Sisters Child Protection Overview

Hill was charged with 10 counts of indecent liberties with a minor and eight counts of statutory sex offense. His bond is set at $450,000 and his first court appearance will be Wednesday.

Channel 9 went to what is believed to be Hill’s home in south Charlotte Tuesday morning, but it appeared to be empty.

  •  Statement from Karen Calder, chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Charlotte

"Big Brothers Big Sisters has a zero tolerance policy toward abuse or exploitation of any kind. We were saddened and deeply concerned to learn of the arrest of an individual who was affiliated with our organization as a volunteer.

"Big Brothers Big Sisters makes child safety our priority.  Our volunteers and staff undergo thorough screening and background checks. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ professional mentoring support staff have ongoing and regular communication with volunteers, mentees and their families and are trained to immediately make law enforcement and child protective services authorities aware of any reports of abuse or exploitation and fully cooperate with any investigation into such reports.

 "Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national leader among youth-serving organizations in child protection, with systems developed in consultation with experts from the Centers for Disease Control, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Nonprofit Risk-Management Center.  The integrity of our program is extremely important and to achieve the highest quality standards possible, we work to constantly review and strengthen our screening and background check systems.

 

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