by Nick Beres
VAN BUREN COUNTY, Tenn. - An alleged sexual assault of a child at one
of Tennessee's most well-known and busy state parks has the Van Buren County
Sheriff issuing a warning to parents.
"Fall Creek Falls is a very safe park," said Sheriff
Beasley. "If it can happen there it can happen anywhere."
Investigators say 23-year-old Brandon Brownell and his family were camping
just a few sites down from the young victim and his family. And, over a
three-day period, Brownell gained the trust of the child's parents.
Police said he then offered to take the boy on a short walk to the falls
with some other children. Investigators said he later confessed to raping the
child in a bathroom.
"I wanted to kill him," said the victim's father, who immediately
called police after his son told him what happened.
Brownell is charged with rape of a minor and is free on $75,000 bond.
If convicted, he faces a minimum of 25 years in prison.
Sheriff Beasley said parents who camp with children need to always be wary
of everyone they encounter.
NewsChannel5
spoke to the family of the suspect. Brownell's uncle said he has Asperger's
disease, and the family says the 23- year-old has the IQ of the seven-year-old
child. His uncle says Brownell did not really know what he was doing.
Detectives
investigating the case say they are convinced he knew what he was doing was
wrong.
