Parole log: Suspect told cops of sex cult

Wichita Eagle/February 25, 2007
By Tim Potter

A Wichita parolee and self-proclaimed minister has told police he ran a cult from his home and had sex with girls there, according to a parole officer's log The Eagle has seen.

The parolee, Alfred R. Brown, was charged earlier this month with nine counts of sex crimes against two girls.

During the period some of the alleged crimes occurred, Brown was under a low level of parole supervision and repeatedly tested positive for cocaine, records from the Kansas Department of Corrections show. There's no indication in available records, said spokeswoman Frances Breyne, that a parole officer had visited Brown's home since July 2004, when his latest parole period began.

Asked Friday about the log, Breyne said: "I can't confirm or deny the existence... because my concern is that would impede the criminal investigation."

The parole officer could not be reached for comment.

In a Feb. 16 entry in the log, after Brown was charged, the parole officer wrote that he met with a detective from the Wichita/Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Child Unit who was investigating allegations that Brown committed sex crimes.

According to the log, the parole officer wrote that he learned from the detective that Brown, 56, admitted having sex with girls. "He stated that he was running a cult in his house at this time and was getting these young girls to have sex with him at this residence.

"He would take them one by one into his bedroom and while he was in the room with them, the others would get mirrors and things and look under the door to see what was going on."

The parole officer wrote that the detective told him that "this has been going on for about four years at this time."

The parole officer has supervised Brown since July 22, 2005, Breyne said.

According to the log, the parole officer also wrote that the detective told him that Brown "really doesn't think there is anything wrong with this, because he is doing it for the Lord."

The log indicated there could be a third victim.

Brown's attorney, Charlie O'Hara, declined to comment on the log but said: "Just because he's on parole for a crime doesn't mean that he's guilty of another crime." O'Hara said he had not been able to fully review the case.

Police Capt. Randy Landen said Friday that investigators have not substantiated cult activity. "It's not something we're looking at at this point."

Home church services

Landen said Brown was a self-proclaimed minister and ran a ministry from his home, where he lived with his extended family and held church services.

Brown has been living with children and his wife at a house in the 300 block of North Yale.

The Eagle reported Thursday that a Kansas City, Kan., woman, Cendrea Roden, alleged at least a year ago that Brown was physically abusing her two young sons by striking them hard with a belt or his hand -- sometimes while they were nude from the waist down. She also reported to SRS that she was concerned because Brown was "in and out of jail for drug use and parole violations" and living with several children.

Roden, who lost custody of her sons to their father, said they often stayed with Brown because he is their stepgrandfather. The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services found her allegations of abuse to be unsubstantiated.

There is nothing in the log to indicate that SRS contacted Brown's parole officer about the complaints or its investigation.

Supervision details

At The Eagle's request, the Department of Corrections has provided some information about Brown's parole supervision. Other information about his supervision comes from the log -- which the Department of Corrections did not provide.

Brown, who had been in and out of prison after drug convictions and parole violations since 1983, had been under a low level of supervision since Nov. 3, 2005, records provided by the Department of Corrections show.

He violated his parole conditions 14 times since 1998.

After his latest parole began in July 2004, Brown violated his parole three times between November 2004 and January 2005. Those three violations were for narcotics or alcohol, records show. After that, he had to submit to increased drug testing and go to the Day Reporting Center.

After violating his parole in January 2005, he went nearly two years without being found in violation -- despite repeatedly testing positive for cocaine, reporting late to the Day Reporting Center, and at times refusing to attend drug treatment, according to the log and information provided by the Department of Corrections.

Since his most recent parole began in July 2004, there is no indication that a parole officer visited his home, according to both the log and Breyne.

Parole officers are expected to regularly visit parolees' homes, according to a state job description document.

Parole supervision standards don't require a certain number of home visits, Breyne said.

During a 10-month period in 2002 and 2003 -- when prosecutors allege that Brown raped a 12-year-old girl -- parole records show four home visits, Breyne said. There were 37 home visits dating back to 1998, she said.

And there were scores of other kinds of contacts with Brown over the years, Breyne said.

A "contact" is the term parole officers use to note each instance they gather information about a parolee: from the parolee himself and from the parolee's relatives, friends and employers. Contacts are made by personal visits and telephone calls.

Positive drug tests

The log provides a supervision timeline:

On Sept. 14, 2004, Brown started working for a business doing general labor, yard work and "house detail."

By Jan. 10, 2005, Brown was having substance abuse problems. He tested positive for cocaine and had to undergo increased urinalysis.

Around Feb. 3, 2005, he was fitted with a GPS ankle bracelet. He was able to collect food stamps because four grandchildren were living with him.

From Jan. 18 to Feb. 28, 2005, Brown tested positive for cocaine five times, both the log and records provided by the Corrections Department show.

Brown was not cited for parole violations for the February drug use, Breyne said. But "several interventions" occurred to address the substance abuse, Breyne said. She said she couldn't disclose the interventions.

The positive drug tests occurred while he was at the Day Reporting Center.

He started being housed in drug treatment, away from his home.

By the spring and early summer of 2005, he was excelling in his Options drug treatment program, the log said.

An entry on July 11, 2005, said he was regularly attending prayer services, Bible study and church.

By August 2005, he was back home. A September log mentions that he was taking "his children" to sports practices.

A notation by the parole officer on Dec. 9, 2005, said: "Reports that he is preaching some. Reports that this is an eye opener.... Offender is still on indigent status at this time."

A Jan. 3, 2006, entry attributed to the parole officer said: "This officer will put the offender in for an early discharge next month if he continues to follow all the rules and regulations of his parole."

On Feb. 13, 2006, the log said: "Reports that the reason that he has made it on parole this time was through the help of God."

On June 30, 2006, the parole officer noted that during an office visit, Brown told him he was "preaching church service at his house three times a week. Offender reports that he is very blessed at this time." The parole officer said he had not yet completed the early discharge request but "needs to do this asap." He told Brown they needed to meet only every three months, not monthly.

After June 2006, the log indicated, the parole officer and Brown had contact by telephone once a month from October through December.

Brown met with another parole officer on Dec. 8, 2006. And the log noted that Brown was waiting for early discharge from parole.

The next entry is Feb. 9, 2007, with the notation that Brown was in jail, suspected of two sex crimes.