By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — A Thomasville man was convicted this week of raping an 8-year-old girl, who told her story after attending a school program on child abuse.

Kevin Scott Rose, 36, was convicted Thursday in Rowan County Criminal Court of 11 counts of felony second-degree sex offense, 10 counts of felony first-degree sexual exploitation, one count of felony second-degree rape, and another sex offense.

Judge Anna Mills Wagoner sentenced Rose to 20 to nearly 38 and a half years in prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to satellite-based monitoring for the rest of his life. Rose has been in the Rowan County Detention Center since his June 2015 arrest.

The crimes committed by Rose were reported as a result of the “Speak Up, Be Safe” program presented by Terrie Hess House Child Advocacy Center of Rowan County at a local elementary school. An 11-year-old girl told the presenter that she had been molested by a former neighbor when she was 8 years old.

A forensic interview was conducted at the Child Advocacy Center. The Rowan County District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office and Department of Social Services launched a coordinated investigation.

During the child’s interview, she disclosed that she and her sister would spend the night at a friend’s house. She said that Rose would have all three girls line up, youngest to oldest, without clothes on. Rose would look at them and then touch each of them, she said.

She said the first time, “she didn’t know any better.” The girl said Rose would move on to her sister and the third victim, oldest to youngest. At times, she said, Rose would take pictures of them in the nude and videotape the things he did with them.

The abuse continued each time the girls visited their friend for a couple of years until Rose and his family moved away. She said the girls never really talked about the abuse among themselves. She said that after a while, she began to resist Rose, but he would tell her she would be sent home if she didn’t do what he asked. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to see her friend anymore and that no one would believe her, she said.

Forensic interviews were conducted with her sister the other victim. Her sister corroborated her story, but one of the victims denied everything and claimed her friends were making it up.

Detectives with the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office found Rose living in Thomasville, and he was separated from his wife and children. They discovered that Rose was a registered sex offender who had been prosecuted for possession of child pornography in 2015. Rose was interviewed and denied all the accusations.

Detectives discovered that computers, phones and hard drives from the previous investigation of Rose were still held as evidence at the Salisbury Police Department. Upon review of those items, detectives found pictures and videos of the three girls.

District Attorney Brandy Cook said she appreciated the work of Assistant District Attorney Paxton Butler in the prosecution of this case. Cook said that sexual crimes against children can be the most difficult types of crime to prosecute because they require experienced detectives, DSS case workers, child advocates and prosecutors working together as a team.