OK - OU social work prof faces child sex complaints

NORMAN — A University of Oklahoma social work professor has been arrested on complaints of rape and lewd acts with a child, police said Tuesday.

Dwain Pellebon, 54, was arrested Friday in Norman on two complaints of rape and one complaint of lewd acts with a child younger than 16, police Capt. Tom Easley said.
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He has not been charged in district court, Easley said, but the investigation is continuing.

Pellebon is an associate professor in the OU School of Social Work, according to the OU website.
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A state Department of Human Services worker told Norman police that a 13-year-old reported seeing Pellebon fondle another 13-year-old, according to a search warrant affidavit.

The McClain County worker also told police she believed Pellebon had abused a mentally disabled 15-year-old, who has shown “recent sexualized behavior,” according to the affidavit.

Pellebon, 54, was interviewed by a Norman detective last week at his residence, where he told investigators that he was an “affectionate, sensual man who liked to hug, kiss, cuddle and stroke young girls that he felt close to,” according to the affidavit.
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Filly said:

Let's see...........

1.) Investigated in 2001 inappropriate with an 11 year old girl

2.) Viewed child *advertiser censored* only once

3.) Torn girls underwear in his residence

4.) Makes the statement he's a sensual man who likes to hug, kiss and ummmmmm stroke young girls?

Just my opinion pedophile.

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The McClain County worker also told police she believed Pellebon had abused a mentally disabled 15-year-old, who has shown “recent sexualized behavior,” according to the affidavit.

The 15-year-old told police that Pellebon had raped her at least twice, once in 2010 and once this past summer. The girl also said the suspect would frequently remove her from bed, strip off her clothes and display her on a bed for viewing.
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The jury of eight men and four women acquitted the former social work professor of three counts of child sex abuse and six counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child...

[Defence attorney] Smith said prosecutors filed numerous charges against Pellebon to give the impression of “where there's smoke, there's fire.”

“There's gotta be a case in here somewhere,” Smith told jurors during his closing remarks. “Never mind that each one of them is weak and cannot stand on their own. There's just not been a lick of proof.”

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"My life has been changed forever as a result of what I've been put through and my family has been put through," said Pellebon. "But the jury did their job."

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The defendant was painted by witnesses as the kind of man who made people feel uncomfortable, either by his questionable touching of young girls or because of the strange requests he would make...

The jury trial, which started Tuesday afternoon, has been delayed numerous times due to legal wrangling. The effects of the delays were evident as many of the young witnesses appeared to have trouble recalling what they had told investigators during previous interviews...

[One alleged victim], who knew the defendant since she was 6, said that she had a tense relationship with the prosecution team and indicated that they seemed to be trying to get her to say certain things to incriminate Pellebon.

She even went so far as to cast doubt on the allegations made by one of Pellebon's alleged victims...

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Another father, whose testimony was presented to the jury on large video screens in the courtroom, said Pellebon crossed the line with his children right in front of him, once by throwing his young daughter up in the air and catching her.

The father, who wore sunglasses and spoke in a gravelly voice during his videotaped testimony, said his “suspicions” about Pellebon grew after he spoke with other parents in their social circle.

“My concern was that Dwain was having sexual contact with one or more of the children,” he said.

The father, clad in sunglasses, said he reported his suspicions to the state Department of Human Services. The next day, Pellebon was arrested by Norman police, he said.

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Multiple young girls have said the former professor made them feel uncomfortable by unwanted touching, but none reported being touched in a sexual manner by Pellebon...

Yet the two mothers who testified Thursday — both of whom were called by prosecutors — seemed to do little to help the state's case.

Both women appeared to have trouble remembering prior testimony they gave, which painted Pellebon in a negative light. At times, both women also appeared hostile toward the attorneys prosecuting the case...

“If somebody would stroke your hair ... I don't know if that's a big deal,” the woman said.

When asked by prosecutors why she stopped allowing her daughter to visit the Pellebon home after she found out about the hair-stroking incident, the woman said she was more concerned about the “gossip” in the Filipino community...

According to witness testimony, the “mother hen” of one of the social groups has long had it out for Pellebon and his wife, though it was never made clear as to why.

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A former University of Oklahoma professor acquitted of sex crimes last November is suing the board of regents and the state for not allowing him to return to his teaching position at the school...


Pellebon was hired by the university in August 1995, and was not disciplined during his tenure. He claims OU “used coercive tactics and contrived statements” to force his resignation on Dec. 19, 2011, even though he maintained his innocence after being arrested and charged, according to the lawsuit.

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