Christian Youth Theater Sex Abuse Charges
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced charges today against Brad Christian Davis, 40 and David Hott, 34, in connection with sexually abusing students in their care at the El Cajon-based Christian Youth Theater. Davis has been charged with one felony count of sexual penetration by a foreign object for a 2010 incident involving a 16-year-old child and Hott has been charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious act on a child under the age of 14 for incidents that occurred in 2007 involving a 13-year-old child. If convicted, Davis faces up to three years and Hott faces up to ten years in state prison.
“Protecting children from sexual predators and making sure they are not revictimized during the criminal justice process is my top priority,” District Attorney Summer Stephan said. “Victims in this case whose abuse was beyond the statute of limitations still provided valuable information and evidence that allowed their voices to be heard and will allow us to seek justice.”
Christian Youth Theater is a national after-school theater company with its headquarters in El Cajon and chapters across the country.
The District Attorney was able to file charges under a law that provides a longer statute of limitations in certain legal circumstances. Most people who experience childhood sexual abuse delay disclosure of the abuse or choose never to disclose it because of fear, embarrassment, shame, or the stigma attached to being a sexual assault victim.
Although the District Attorney’s Office and the San Diego Police Department investigate all aspects of a case to discover each chargeable act that falls within the criminal statute of limitations, not all crimes against victims can legally be charged. Absence of charges, where there was abuse, is sometimes based on the nature of the acts that occurred and how long ago they occurred. The DA noted that in instances where charges cannot be filed, the victim is still an integral part of achieving justice in the overall case because the courts may allow for “pattern evidence” to be admitted as a piece of circumstantial evidence in cases involving sexual assaults.
The District Attorney’s Office and San Diego Police are asking for any additional victims to come forward. Anyone with more information is urged to call the San Diego Police Department.
“I’d like to thank all of the victims for their courage in coming forward and our Sex Crimes Detectives for working diligently on this case with the District Attorney’s Office,” said San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit. “We must hold these individuals responsible for their actions, so they don’t have the opportunity to harm more children in the future.”
Judge Michael Groch set bail at $100,000 for each defendant. Future court dates are expected to be provided in the coming days.
