Document text
One arrested for sex with girl, 13 Two more sought in case involving teen's mother By CHRIS BRISTOL Medford police arrested the first of three men accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl, allegedly while her mother participated. Johnny Lee Carter, 39, was taken into custody without incident Wednesday morning at the state Workers' Compensation Board office building near the corner of 10th and Grape streets in Medford. He was there for a hearing, according to Medford police spokesman Tim George. "One down, two to go," George said, referring to police efforts to identify and arrest all three male suspects since the mother's arrest three weeks ago. Carter, of 2541 Howard Ave., was lodged in the Jackson County Jail on $100,000 bail. Detectives had a warrant for three counts of second-degree rape and one count each of first-degree sexual abuse and unlawful penetration with a foreign object. He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance. George said Carter had a pipe in his pocket when he was arrested that tested positive for traces of cocaine. The other two suspects in the sex case remain at large. George said both men have been identified but are not believed to be in the area. "They're from here but not here now," he said, adding that Medford detectives are working with police in other jurisdictions to locate the suspects. He declined to say where. The girl's mother was arrested Aug. 5 on charges stemming from an alleged encounter last month at the woman's apartment in east Medford. She was later indicted by a Jackson County grand jury. Police said one of the suspects had sex with the girl with the mother's consent and another had sex with the mother and the girl. The third suspect allegedly had sex with the mother in the girl's presence. The victim's younger sister, age 11, was also at the apartment. Police said they have found no evidence to indicate the younger girl was molested. The woman pleaded not guilty last week in court to 10 of 12 charges, including first- and second-degree rape and sodomy, endangering the welfare of a minor and possession of a controlled substance. She did not enter a plea on charges of furnishing liquor to an intoxicated person or promoting prostitution. Police said she accepted drugs or money from the men as tacit payment for sex. The Mail Tribune is withholding her name to protect her daughter's identity. She remains in jail on $500,000 bail. According to a probable cause statement filed by Medford police Detective Tim Doney, the girl told authorities that on the night in question -- authorities are not sure of the exact date -- her mother was smoking cocaine and drinking with three then-unidentified adult males. The girl said she was performing oral sex on one of the men, who was about 30 years old, when her mother walked in. "Keep it to yourselves," the mother said, according to her daughter. The girl said her mother later asked her to take a shower and put on a G-string thong. She said her mother then had her perform oral sex on another man, told her to have sex with the same man and then performed oral sex herself on the man. In an interview with detectives, the woman admitted smoking cocaine that night. Doney reported that "she didn't think the acts occurred, but (said) she was so drunk she may have engaged in the allegations by her daughter." Meanwhile, court records reveal the girl and her younger sister were sexually molested four years ago by a babysitter. Henry C. Linebaugh, 53, was convicted of three counts of first-degree sexual abuse and sentenced to 75 months in prison. The girls' mother later sued him for some property he owned in the Jacksonville area. Both girls are now living with relatives, police said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA