FORT BEND, Texas — The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office has arrested and charged a man with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child and a woman with Endangering a Child by Criminal Negligence.
The suspects, Steven Carty, 47, and Cherry Jamila Payton, 39, are currently in the Fort Bend County jail. Carty has a $100,000 dollar bond and Payton has a $10,000 dollar bond.
On June, 5, 2017, the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office was notified by CPS of a possible Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child.
A 14 year old female stated to a doctor that she was married and sexually active. The victim also stated that she had been married since she was 13 years old.
On June, 19, 2017, deputies arrested the “husband” Carty and charged him with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child, which is a first degree felony.
On June, 21, 2017, deputies arrested and charged the girl’s mother, Payton, with Endangering a Child, which is a state jail felony.
“I find the whole situation terribly disturbing,” said Sheriff Troy Nehls. “The victim was a child when she entered this so called marriage with a much older man and she is still a child who needs us to look after her well-being.”
This investigation is ongoing.
