top of page

5-year-old sexually assaulted while mom was working as prostitute

By Melynda Schauer

By John Huddleston

PLEASANT GROVE, AL (WBRC)

A 5-year-old girl whose mother brought her along while she prostituted herself was sexually assaulted by another man in the same home, according to Pleasant Grove police.

The incident happened in early December at a home in Pleasant Grove.

The mother took her child to the home where she was prostituting herself. She met two men, including 51-year-old Orlando Howard, who is a registered sex offender in Jefferson County.

While the mom was in a bedroom with one man, she heard her daughter crying and found her with Howard.

The little girl told her mother that Howard had been “trying to mess with her” and described the sexual abuse, according to court documents.

Police said although the mother knew about what happened, she didn't report the incident. It wasn't until the child told another family member that police got involved. The girl was interviewed on Dec. 15 and told investigators what happened.

"Oh it absolutely breaks your heart. This is right before Christmas and this happened. You have this lady taking this child into this situation to begin with. And then this happening to the child,” Lt. Danny Reid with the Pleasant Grove Police Department said.

Howard, from the Dolomite area, was arrested on Dec. 16 on two counts of first degree sodomy. The affidavit says he engaged in “deviate sexual intercourse” with a child less than 12 years old.

The child’s mom was also charged with failure to protect. Police are not identifying her because it would identify the child.

Howard is in custody of the Jefferson County Jail in Bessemer on a $120,000 bond.

He was registered as a sex offender after being convicted of raping an adult female in 1989 in Jefferson County and released in 2000, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Howard was re-arrested in 2011 for probation violation and failing to register his address on a quarterly basis. He was released from jail in 2014, but has been arrested three times since then for being non-compliant and failing to register his address.

Lt. Reid said because of Howard's prior record, he is likely looking at a hefty prison sentence if convicted.


bottom of page