Bail for a Hagerstown man accused of raping a girl a decade ago was reduced from $250,000 to $100,000 during a bond review hearing Thursday in Washington County District Court.
Chad M. Hook, 34, of 44 E. Washington St., is charged with second-degree rape, second- and third-degree sex offenses and sexual abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct, according to the statement of charges filed by Hagerstown police.
The Washington County Department of Social Services reported to police on April 29 that the alleged victim, now a teenager, had disclosed during therapy sessions that she had been abused by Hook between 2001 and 2003, the charging documents said.
The girl told investigators Hook repeatedly abused her during that period when they lived in the same residence on Prospect Street, the documents said.
The investigating officer wrote in the charging documents that he previously investigated the 2003 death of 3-year-old Christopher J. Hook at the Prospect Street house. The Herald-Mail reported at that time that the child died of "compression asphyxia" when he became "wedged under his father" on a sofa. Chad Hook was the boy's father, the newspaper said.
As part of that investigation, police made inquiries into whether the girl and another child in the house, a boy, had been sexually abused, the documents said. A physical examination of those children revealed anal injuries "highly suspicious for sexual abuse," the documents said.
In 2004, the girl was interviewed by a woman with the Baltimore County Child Advocacy Center and "disclosed she had been sexually abused by Chad Cook," the charging documents said.
In 2007 another report was made to the Washington County Department of Social Services indicating the girl might have been sexually abused while in foster care, the documents said. During the same investigation, the girl also said Hook had abused her, the documents said.
Hook's attorney, Daniel Mahone, told Judge W. Minor Roberts that the allegations were old, the charging documents were "very, very sketchy," and no known charges resulted from the previous investigations.
Assistant State's Attorney Vicki Pauler called Hook a "predator against children" and asked that his bail remain at $250,000.
Chad M. Hook, 34, of 44 E. Washington St., is charged with second-degree rape, second- and third-degree sex offenses and sexual abuse of a minor as a continuing course of conduct, according to the statement of charges filed by Hagerstown police.
The Washington County Department of Social Services reported to police on April 29 that the alleged victim, now a teenager, had disclosed during therapy sessions that she had been abused by Hook between 2001 and 2003, the charging documents said.
The girl told investigators Hook repeatedly abused her during that period when they lived in the same residence on Prospect Street, the documents said.
The investigating officer wrote in the charging documents that he previously investigated the 2003 death of 3-year-old Christopher J. Hook at the Prospect Street house. The Herald-Mail reported at that time that the child died of "compression asphyxia" when he became "wedged under his father" on a sofa. Chad Hook was the boy's father, the newspaper said.
As part of that investigation, police made inquiries into whether the girl and another child in the house, a boy, had been sexually abused, the documents said. A physical examination of those children revealed anal injuries "highly suspicious for sexual abuse," the documents said.
In 2004, the girl was interviewed by a woman with the Baltimore County Child Advocacy Center and "disclosed she had been sexually abused by Chad Cook," the charging documents said.
In 2007 another report was made to the Washington County Department of Social Services indicating the girl might have been sexually abused while in foster care, the documents said. During the same investigation, the girl also said Hook had abused her, the documents said.
Hook's attorney, Daniel Mahone, told Judge W. Minor Roberts that the allegations were old, the charging documents were "very, very sketchy," and no known charges resulted from the previous investigations.
Assistant State's Attorney Vicki Pauler called Hook a "predator against children" and asked that his bail remain at $250,000.
