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.
Brockman was being held Thursday without bond in the High Point Jail, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. A court appearance was scheduled for later Thursday.
The magistrate’s order says Brockman is twice accused in or around Aug. 15 of engaging in a sex 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.
In separate statements, the North Carolina Democratic Party, Republican House Speaker Destin Hall and House Democratic leader Rep. Robert Reives called on Brockman to resign immediately his General Assembly seat.
“The profound seriousness of these criminal charges makes it impossible for him to effectively represent his community,” the state Democratic Party said in a news release.
An assistant for Brockman at his legislative office said Brockman didn’t have a comment Thursday morning. A voice message left on a phone number connected to Brockman wasn’t immediately returned. Electronic court records provided no information on whether he had an attorney.
The minimum prison sentence for someone convicted of a 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 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 override successfully some of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes.
A past supporter of some school choice initiatives, Brockman was tapped as 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.
