Orange to appeal, proclaims innocence
By LESTER MURRAY news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

CHARLES ORANGE

Less then two weeks after his conviction for indecency with a child, Charles Orange is still protesting his innocence.

Orange said this whole chain of events started when he moved in with Theresa Williams because of a need for transportation to work. "I accepted the help of a friend and tried to return the friendship by helping her son," said Orange.

Orange said when he moved in with Williams, her two children and her husband, the son was having problems in school and "felt very bad about himself. I used to talk with him a lot when I saw him, which wasn't much," said Orange. "I worked nights and slept during the day."

Orange said it wasn't until he moved in with the Williams that he learned about allegations from the son to Child Protective Services that the boy was being molested. "If I had known this I never would have moved in," said Orange. "It was during my stay at the Williams home that on three occasions I caught the children having sex together and when I questioned them about this all the boy would say was that they learned it from (someone else)."

Orange said until the day he was arrested in 2006 "there had never been any accusations against me from Theresa's son for any inappropriate behavior."

The Gregg County District Attorney's Office won a conviction on Indecency With a Child against Orange, but he was acquitted of three counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. "There were so many things during the trial that were incorrect," said Orange. "One big issue was the police officer that testified against me who used to be a Kilgore police officer, lied on the witness stand."

In 1999, that officer said he encountered Orange at Chandler School and saw Or- ange in a parked car with binoculars, watching children on the playground. "I didn't even own a vehicle at that time and this police officer never talked to me at all," said Orange.

During the trial, Orange said the only witnesses against him that testified on the sex charges were Theresa Williams, Mark Williams and their son. "The only thing the son would say is he was touched, nothing else," said Orange. "Theresa only testified she was scared of me; Mark testified that I molested his stepson."

During his stay at the Williams residence, Orange did say he and the son shared the same bed. "This was totally taken out of context," said Orange. "I did share a bed with the son. I used the bed during the day and he used the bed at night when I was at work. We never slept in the bed at the same time."

"There was a lot of bad things going on in this house," said Orange. "I admit I gave thought to going to the police myself, but I knew it would be my word against the Williams family, so the only person I told about the children having sex was Theresa," said Orange.

"All of these charges against me, the two years I have already spent in jail waiting to go to trial, all stem from a cover up by this family and I was the goat," said Orange.

"When the district attorney filed the first three charges on me, their office held back the Williams child and tried me on three counts of indecency with a child and aggravated sexual assault with a child, all of which I was acquitted on. Even during that trial, the child whom I was charged with in June of 2006, testified as a witness against me in the other trial, and I was acquitted," said Orange. "It was when the district attorney's office lost the case they filed the fourth count."

"I stand on one thing and that is I am innocent of all of these charges and that is why I am currently filing a motion for a new trial, appealing the court's decision. I believe if someone does something they should admit to it," said Orange. "I have done nothing wrong and hope to get a new trial to show my innocence and get valuable evidence in that was left out of this trial."

Orange says he understands if he does get a new trial and if convicted again the outcome might be different. Instead of probation he could get jail time. "This is a chance I have to take," said Orange. "I am a good person and have been falsely accused and I have to do everything I can to prove this."

Rex Fennell is Orange's probation officer. "Fennell advised me not to sign my papers accepting my probation until I decided to file an appeal," said Orange. "I am now sort of in limbo until the appeal paperwork is filed and at this time I will not sign up as a registered sex offender."

Fennell countered that Orange has seven days from the date of his conviction to sign his terms of agreement for this probation and that he did not advise Orange not to sign his paperwork. "Charles Orange has 30 days to file an appeal, but during that time he is still under the terms of this probation set by the court and he must register with the closest law enforcement agency to where he is living as a sex offender," said Fennell.

Fennell said if Orange does not comply with the terms of his probation, the probation can be revoked and Orange would have to serve the five years in a state prison. "Also, if Orange files an appeal, an appeal bond would go into effect and if Orange could not make bond he would be placed back in jail until the trial."

The date for Orange to sign his probation and terms of the agreement was Friday. Orange has until July 27 to file his appeal according to Fennell.

Orange said he is in the process of talking to an appellate attorney to get the motion for a new trial filed.