HIGH POINT, North Carolina — HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) — A member of the North Carolina state House of Representatives was charged with sex crimes involving a teenager earlier this year, court records show.
Six-term Democratic state Rep. Cecil Brockman, 41, of High Point, was arrested Wednesday on two counts, each of sexual offense with a child and taking indecent liberties with a child, according to a magistrate’s order detailing his arrest.
Brockman was being held without bond in the High Point jail Thursday, according to the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office. A court appearance was scheduled for later Thursday.
The magistrate’s order says Brockman is accused twice around Aug. 15 of committing a sexual act with a 15-year-old and is accused twice of committing and attempting to commit “a lewd and lascivious act” on the minor. The alleged victim in each count was identified by the same initials.
In separate statements, North Carolina Democratic Party Republican House Speaker Destin Hall and House Democratic Leader Rep. Robert Reives called on Brockman to immediately resign his General Assembly seat.
“The profound seriousness of these criminal charges prevents him from effectively representing his community,” the state Democratic Party said in a press release.
A Brockman aide in his legislative office said Brockman had no comment Thursday morning. A voicemail left at a phone number connected to Brockman was not immediately returned. Electronic court records did not provide information on whether he had an attorney.
The minimum prison term for someone convicted of a statutory sex offense is at least 12 years, according to state sentencing guidelines, while taking indecent liberties with a child can be punished with active prison time, probation or both.
A document signed by a Guilford County magistrate explaining why Brockman’s release was not authorized Wednesday says the defendant “is an official of the state and has access to abundant resources to help him flee prosecution.”
Additionally, the document states, Brockman “attempted to contact the victim in this case,” even attempting to locate the youth at the hospital and “using his status” to obtain information about the teen’s whereabouts.
Brockman, who was first elected to the Legislature in 2014, has been a political target of fellow Democrats in recent years because of his willingness to vote with Republicans on some key bills. In July, he and a few other House Democrats helped successfully override some of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes.
A former supporter of some school choice initiatives, Brockman was named one of four vice chairs of the House K-12 Education Committee during this General Assembly term, joining three Republicans. Brockman narrowly survived a primary challenge in the 2024 election for the 60th House District seat that represents southwest Guilford County.
