Hendersonville foster dad indicted on child rape charges
A Hendersonville foster father charged in September with raping a 12-year-old girl who was placed in his home by the Department of Children’s Services has been indicted by a Sumner County grand jury.
Randy Louis Roe, 56, of New Shackle Island Road was arrested by Sumner County Sheriff’s Office deputies on Sept. 17 and charged with one count of rape of a child.
A grand jury returned an indictment on Dec. 3 charging Roe with three counts of rape of a child, two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of solicitation of a minor — rape of a child. He was arraigned on Dec. 19 at which time he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Department of Children’s Services launched an investigation in June and is working closely with law enforcement, DCS spokesman Rob Johnson said in September.
The girl was one of three siblings placed in the home of Roe and his wife between March and June of this year. Shortly after the siblings were moved to another foster home, the girl told her new foster mother that Roe had raped her on multiple occasions. The girl repeated the claims to an investigator on Sept. 16, and Roe was arrested the next day.
He is charged with raping the preteen three times between March 14 and June 14, according to the indictment. He is also charged with possessing photos of a minor engaging in sexual activity on his cell phone and soliciting sex from a minor who was under the age of 13.
If convicted, the foster father could face a maximum of 148-year prison sentence. Each rape count carries a 25- to 40-year sentence, according to Sumner County Assistant District Attorney Tara Wyllie, who is prosecuting the case.
Roe and his wife became foster parents in November 2011, according to DCS. They have fostered 18 children since then, some in sibling groups of three or four. There have been no previous reports of abuse or neglect against the Roes, according to DCS.
Roe remains in the Sumner County Jail on a $100,000 bond. His next court date is set for March 12.
Reach Tena Lee at 615-575-7116 and on Twitter @tenalee1.