TYLER (KYTX)- The cries of a young girl to her mother lead to the arrest of a 21-year-old Tyler man.
Thomas Brookbank is accused of sexually assaulting several children at the Shiloh Pines mobile home park.
Brookbank was arrested on Friday. He's been charged with continuous abuse of young children.
"He was sitting here in tears and I said what in the world happened," said Kris Brookbank,"He said I've been accused of molesting a child."
Thomas Brookbank's grandparents are fighting for their grandson's innocence. The 21-year-old has lived with them since he was 18.
For most of his life, he lived in the care of child protective services after his mother gave him up.
"He has ADD, ADHD, he's paranoid schizophrenic and bipolar," said Brookbank.
Despite his mental issues, Brookbank's grandparents gave him a place to stay three years ago.
They say he has never caused any problems. That's why they are surprised to hear the accusations against him.
"He's with us 24/7. He will occasionally go to the pool. He has a sister that lives here. She and her fiance will meet him at the pool and they'll swim and he'll come home. He's always home by 8:00 or 8:30," explained Brookbank.
Tyler police said a 9-year-old girl told her mother that Brookbank sexually assaulted her , over the past month, in a club house in the woods behind the mobile home park.
The girl claims the man known as "Tom" molested her and several of her friends on numerous occasions.
"We had enough probable cause to believe everything that was stated by the child was true," said Officer Don Martin, Tyler police dept.
While Brookbank's grandparents continue to defend him, his grandmother is not disguising his mental illness.
"He is paranoid schizophrenic and if he hears voices telling him to do something.He'll do it. because the voices tell him what to do it," said Brookbank.
"Do you think this could have happened in this situation? asked CBS 19, "It might have. It very well might have," replied Brookbank.
If it did happen, Brookbank's grandmother said she would apologize to the family herself.
"If we knew who the family was I would go and apologize. I know what that little girl is going through, but I still swear it wasn't our Tom," said Brookbank.
Tyler Police Department:
On Friday, July 13, 2012, Tyler Police responded to Shiloh Pines (mobile home park), located at 2525 Shiloh Road, to investigate a report of sexual assault of a child.
Officers contacted the mother of a nine year-old female victim who made an outcry that she and several of her friends around the same age had been sexually assaulted by a 21 year-old male who lives in the mobile home park.
The victim stated that the assaults had occurred in a wooded area, where the suspect known as "Tom" had made a club house, inside the mobile home park on numerous occasions over the past month.
Investigators were called to the scene and were able to obtain evidence to secure an arrest warrant for the suspect.
The suspect is identified as Thomas Harold George Brookbank, W/M, DOB 06/19/1991, of Tyler. Brookbank was charged with Continuous Sexual Abuse of Young Children, a first degree felony and placed in Smith County Jail. His bond was set at $750,000.00.
This case is still under investigation with five children having been identified as victims thus far. If anyone has further information about this case please contact the Detective Brown with the Tyler Police Department at 903-533-1880.
Thomas Harold George Brookbank
