North Carolina state House member charged with sex crimes

HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina state House member has been charged with sex-related crimes involving a teenager earlier this year, court records show.

Six-term Democratic state Rep. Cecil Brockman, 41, of High Point, was arrested Wednesday on two counts each of statutory sexual offense with a child and taking indecent liberties with a child, according to a magistrate’s order detailing his arrest.

The magistrate’s order says Brockman is twice accused in or around Aug. 15 of engaging in a sexual act with a 15-year-old and is twice alleged to have committed and attempted to commit “a lewd and lascivious act” upon the juvenile. The alleged victim in each felony count was identified by the same initials. The State Bureau of Investigation is involved in the caase.

Brockman was being held without bond, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. His scheduled Thursday afternoon court appearance was postponed until Friday — as a message in the state’s electronic court records system said that Brockman was in the hospital on Wednesday. More details weren’t immediately provided there.

Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Bria Evans said Thursday she had no information on Brockman’s medical status, citing privacy law, but said that he was still in custody of the High Point jail run by the office.

An assistant for Brockman at his legislative office said Brockman didn’t have a comment Thursday. A voice message left on a phone number connected to Brockman wasn’t immediately returned. The online court records provided no information on whether he had an attorney.

In separate statements, the North Carolina Democratic Party, Republican House Speaker Destin Hall and House Democratic leader Rep. Robert Reives all called on Brockman to resign immediately his General Assembly seat. So did Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.

“These charges are extremely serious and deeply troubling,” Stein said in a written statement. “While the legal process has yet to play out, it’s clear he cannot effectively serve his constituents and should resign immediately.”

The minimum prison sentence for someone convicted of the statutory sexual offense count is at least 12 years, according to state sentencing directives, while taking indecent liberties with a child can be punishable by active prison time, probation, or both.

A document signed by a Guilford County magistrate explaining in part why Brockman’s release wasn’t authorized on Wednesday said the defendant “is a state representative and has access to abundant resources to aid in his flight from prosecution.”

In addition, the document said, Brockman has “made attempts to contact the victim in this case,” even trying to locate the young person in the hospital and “to use his status” to gain information about the teenager’s whereabouts.

Brockman, who was first elected to the legislature in 2014, has been targeted politically by fellow Democrats in recent years for his willingness to vote with Republicans on some key bills. In July, he and a couple other House Democrats helped the GOP override successfully some of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes.

A past supporter of some school choice initiatives, Brockman is one of four vice chairs on the House K-12 education committee during this General Assembly term, joining three Republicans. Brockman narrowly survived a primary challenge in the 2024 election for the 60th House District seat that represents southwest Guilford County, including High Point.