The fate of a McMinnville man accused of sexually assaulting an under-aged family friend is in the hands of the grand jury.
Travis Dean Morrison, 36, had a preliminary hearing in General Sessions Court Tuesday afternoon on a charge of statutory rape by an authority figure. After the hearing, Judge Ryan J. Moore determined the prosecution sufficiently met the burden of proof necessary to send the case to the next session of the grand jury for possible indictment.
Morrison, who was represented at Tuesday’s hearing by Public Defender John Partin, was arrested Dec. 5 after officers from the McMinnville Police Department were dispatched to an apartment where an alleged sexual assault had taken place.
According to MPD Detective Chris McCormick, who was the first witness called by Assistant District Attorney General Daniel Barnes Tuesday, after advising Morrison of his Miranda rights at the scene, the defendant stated he knew he was accused of touching the alleged victim, who was 14 years old at the time.
Morrison told officers the alleged victim had asked him to “pop” her back, so he took her into his bedroom where she laid on the floor. Investigation the night of the incident reported the victim alleged Morrison walked her to his bedroom, and attempted to pull her pants off, then allegedly reached inside her pants and penetrated her. She further alleged he reached into her bra before being notified via a phone app her mother had arrived at the home.
According to McCormick’s testimony, surveillance cameras inside the home could possibly have recorded audio of the alleged incident, however 11 minutes of footage – specifically from 7:19 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. – were missing as the only camera which was in range of where the incident allegedly took place had shut down during that period.
McCormick, who confiscated the SD card from the camera as well as the defendant’s phone, testified the camera came back online in time to record audio of the victim’s mother confronting Morrison, who reportedly said when accused of touching the victim, “if I did, I didn’t mean it.”
The alleged victim in the case also testified Tuesday, recounting her version of the events of the night in question. During the hearing it was also revealed her undergarments were collected that night and sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to be screened for potential DNA.
Morrison is currently being held in the Warren County Jail under a $100,000 bond. If he is able to post bond, he will be ordered to have no contact with the alleged victim of any kind, and to stay away from her home. He will also be prohibited from possessing a weapon, from possessing or consuming any alcohol or other controlled substance, and must wear a GPS monitor and pay the costs associated with that device.
Statutory rape by an authority figure is a violation of state law 39-13-532, which is a Class B felony. It is defined as, “unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant or of the defendant by the victim when the victim is at least 13 but less than eighteen 18 years of age; the defendant is at least four years older than the victim; and the defendant was, at the time of the offense, in a position of trust, or had supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the defendant’s legal, professional, or occupational status and used the position of trust or power to accomplish the sexual penetration.”
If convicted of a Class B felony, the second-most severe type of felony in Tennessee, defendants may face between eight and 30 years in prison.
