80 year-old man acquitted of sex charges
A jury needed less than one hour this week to return a not guilty verdict in the case of an 80 year-old man charged with sexually related crimes.
Hoyt Harold Prince, 80, of 2747 Duncan Creek Road, Russellville, was originally charged with first-degree sexual abuse and resisting arrest on April 21, 2009, after he was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old female who was living in his residence at the time.
Assistant District Attorney Doug Evans contended the 14-year-old victim had several sexual encounters with her boyfriend who was also 14.
Evans said that the girl told Prince about the encounters because she felt bad about what she had done and thought telling someone would make her feel better.
Evans then contended that Prince stated that there was “only one way out of it,” and took her into his bedroom and sexually abused her.
“This man used and abused his position of trust that this girl had for him,” Evans said.
Defense attorney Neil Taylor, Jr. told the jury during opening statements that the allegations were simply not true.
Taylor said his client agreed that the girl told him about the encounters with her boyfriend. He said that Prince was angry with her and picked her up to shake her and said that he might have touched her during this process, but it was never meant to be a sexual encounter.
“Mr. Prince was never asked if the incident was for sexual gratification, which has to be a factor to constitute a sex crime,” Taylor said.
Taylor added that this was simply a case of a troubled teen that was trying to find a way out of Prince’s home and would stop at nothing to get out.
The jury deliberated for less than an hour before acquitting Prince on all charges.
When Circuit Judge Terry Dempsey read the jury’s verdict, Diane Langford, Prince’s daughter, was overcome with emotion when she realized her father would not be convicted.
“I want to thank Neil Taylor for helping my father and for all the hard work he put into this case,” she later added.
“These are always hard, emotional cases,” Evans said. “We are disappointed with the result of this case, but we respect the jury’s decision.”
