The couple who face multiple felony charges of taking indecent liberties with children
lured young teen girls to their mobile home from Kate’s Skating Rink in Salisbury by
posing as brother and sister. The couple are not related but lived together at 1170 Gheen Road.
Last week, the Rowan County
Sheriff’s Department arrested 42-year-old Mark Stephan Patterson and 25-year-old
Tonia Denise Anderson, an employee of the day care center at the skating rink.
Detective Tim Wyrick and a mother
of one of the young girls said Saturday that Anderson, who often skated with her
‘‘brother,’’ befriended the teens and eventually would invite them to
the couple’s trailer.
Patterson actually may have used
Anderson as a go-between for singling out some of the girls he was interested in.
‘‘He would point out
girls he liked,’’ Wyrick said.
Both Wyrick and the mother stress
that the four teens are victims, having had no knowledge that their friendship with,
first, Anderson, then the man they thought was her brother would lead to some of the
activities that occurred.
Investigators have said the girls
went from the skating rink to the couple’s home more than once ‘‘to
party,’’ having told their parents earlier that they were staying overnight with
a friend.
But Wyrick and the parent say the
girls did not go to the mobile home under the notion that they would receive alcohol and
marijuana in ‘‘exchange’’ for posing in various states of undress for
Patterson and Anderson’s still camera. It was only after the four girls, ages 13 to
15, were high or drunk that photographs were taken.
Search warrants turned up
evidence, including albums of photographs that included many other girls, at both the
mobile home and in Patterson’s car. Authorities said he has only been a Rowan
resident for about four months.
‘‘These two pretended to
be brother and sister, lured young girls to their house, provided beer to them and then
took advantage of the situation,’’ said the mother, whose identity is being
withheld. ‘‘The testimony of four very different girls says the same
thing.’’
‘‘They would pretty much
take advantage of them as far as photographs and improper touching,’’ Wyrick
agreed of the activities at the trailer.
Wyrick said he expects more to
surface from other states that will show Patterson had a long history of similar offenses.
‘‘He liked younger
crowds,’’ Wyrick added.
‘‘Tonia is 25, and Mark
is 42,’’ the mother said in a statement to the Post. ‘‘These 13- and
14-year-old girls didn’t have a chance. Once at their house Mark gave them beer. It
didn’t take a lot to get them to the condition he wanted them in. After that, Mark
and Tonia pulled out the camera.’’
The mother stressed again that
there was no ‘‘exchange of favors’’ and said the Post’s use of
the word ‘‘exchange’’ in Friday’s edition was a horrible
injustice to the young girls.
The girls were never under any
threat of prosecution and have always been treated by the district attorney and
sheriff’s department as victims, the mother added.
‘‘When this case goes to
trial, you will see what I’m talking about,’’ the mother said.
Patterson faces six felony counts
of taking indecent liberties with a child and eight counts of misdemeanor contributing to
the delinquency of a minor. Anderson, who has been dismissed from the skating rink, faces
three felony counts of taking indecent liberties and eight misdemeanor counts of
contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Patterson remains confined in the
Rowan County Detention Center under $175,000 bond. Anderson, said to be cooperating with
law enforcement, is jailed under $50,000 bond.
Two other men, both 18, were
arrested last week in connection with the case. The Rowan County Sheriff’s Department
charged Chad Lee Baker of 204 Gobble St., Spencer, with one felony count of statutory
rape.
Brian Matthew Rankin of 4076
Foster Road, Cleveland, faces a felony count of statutory sexual offense of a person 13,
14 or 15 years old. Rankin also is a former employee at the skating rink.
The investigation remains open,
and detectives Wyrick and Tonya Rusher have asked that any other possible victims or
people with information connected with Patterson or Anderson to call them at 638-3096.
The manager at Kate’s Skating
Rink said the business had no knowledge of the activities the accused are charged with.
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