By Bethany Rodgers
Southern Maryland Newspapers
January 23, 2009
http://www.somdnews.com/stories/01232009/indytop91651_32216.shtml
 |
| Malbrough |
The former minister charged this week with molesting a music student admitted to police that he had "sexual contact" with the child and recorded some of the encounters on camera, according to court documents.
The 14-year-old boy told police that Tony Ray Malbrough, 44, of Indian Head sexually abused him multiple times, most recently on Jan. 13. The victim said he took keyboard lessons at Malbrough's home, where the 44-year-old would allegedly molest him, court papers show. Malbrough filmed some of the incidents on a digital camera, the victim reported.
While the victim said the sexual touching happened against his will, he felt he couldn't make Malbrough stop for fear the man would get angry, the court records report. The charging document states that Malbrough was a minister at the victim's church and was also a family friend.
After the 14-year-old told his parents about the molestation, two other members of his family also reported being abused by Malbrough.
On Jan. 18, Charles County sheriff's officers interviewed Malbrough, who admitted to having sexual contact with the three victims, court documents report. Investigators also searched Malbrough's home and removed some evidence, including computer equipment.
"We are in the process of analyzing the [computer's] contents to determine whether or not he sent out information," said Diane Richardson, sheriff's office spokeswoman.
The same day, Malbrough was arrested on charges of second-degree child abuse, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense, filming child pornography and using a computer to depict child pornography between January 2004 and 2009. He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 18 and is being held in the county jail on a $500,000 bond.
Since the arrest, one more person has reported being molested by Malbrough, increasing the total number of victims to four, according to Richardson.
The victim is now in his 20s, but the abuse happened several years ago when he was a sophomore in high school, Richardson said.
Two of the four victims went to Malbrough's home for music lessons, Richardson reported, while others visited the residence because the church leader played a mentoring role in their lives.
In court documents, Malbrough reported that he had worked as a musician at New Community Church of God in Christ for 14 years. A woman who answered the phone at the Waldorf-based church said that Malbrough was no longer a minister there and that she couldn't comment on the case.
Prior to working as a musician, Malbrough served in the U.S. Navy, he indicated in the court documents.
Efforts to reach Malbrough's wife by phone were unsuccessful.
Detectives believe there may be additional victims in the case. Investigators are encouraging parents to speak with their children about the matter and to contact the sheriff's office at 301-609-6558 if they have additional information.
The investigations are conducted in a discreet manner and the identity of the victims or potential victims will not be disclosed, police said.
Contact: brodgers@somdnews.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.