Cecil Antonio Brockman
Rep. Cecil Brockman (D-Guilford) sent a letter to the House clerk's office on Friday, announcing he would be resigning effective immediately after mounting pressure from bipartisan leaders, including Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, to step down.
The state lawmaker was arrested on Oct. 8 and charged with two counts of statutory sexual offense with a child and taking indecent liberties for an incident involving a 15-year-old, according to court records obtained by The Post.
Brockman, 41, who had served in the House since 2015, wrote that he needed to focus on his defense given the grave allegations against him.
"As a result, I am currently unable to fulfill my duty and service to my constituents," Brockman said.
Democratic officials in Brockman's Guilford County district will now choose someone to complete his two-year term through the end of 2026," Brockman wrote in a statement.
Republican House Speaker Destin Hall announced earlier Friday that there would be a bipartisan House committee "to investigate the charges and recommend expulsion if necessary" from the chamber, a Hall news release said.
© APDemocratic Rep. Cecil Brockman of High Point resigned from his legislative seat after the announcement of a committee to investigate his alleged sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old.
Brockman allegedly committed the sexual crimes with the teen, whose gender or name has not been revealed, on or around Aug. 15, court records showed.
Guilford County District Attorney Avery Crump alleged in a court hearing earlier this month that Brockman had attempted to track the 15-year-old recently through an app and also by calling 911, according to news reports.
Brockman met the teenager in May through an online app, the district attorney said.
He has been held in jail on a $1.05 million bond since his arraignment and was ordered not to have contact with the victim.
Hall said later Friday that Brockman's "departure spares the House from a difficult expulsion process and brings closure to this troubling chapter."
A court hearing to review Brockman's bond amount is scheduled for Monday.
Reader Comments
People cannot be policed from such expressions.
"___ should be...," "I will," or "I intend to..." crosses the line into advocated or intended harm, and indicates that you consider someone or some group to have less human rights than yourself.
Habeas Corpus is nearly out the window. The movement of the Overton Window to allow things like blowing up boats of "drug dealers" (or fishermen...whatever...who cares), and the ho-hum attitude toward euthanasia as a problem-solving tool (you aren't happy? Well, how 'bout we help you die?), are good examples of the consequences of having no capacity to understand how anti-human our society has become, let alone what needs to happen to reverse this trend.