Alfred Edward Payne: 86-Year-Old Charged With Sex Crimes On A 13-Year-Old Victim

Alfred Edward Payne (pictured above) was 73-years-old when his alleged victim was born, and 86 when he allegedly committed sex crimes against her. Now he sits in a North Carolina jail, charged with two felonies in relation to the crimes on which police are withholding details.

According to a report from the Gaston Gazette, the elderly man faces official charges of “taking indecent liberties” with a minor. The incident, police say, occurred on March 30 at the Fern Forest Apartments in Gastonia, North Carolina. The girl was said to live “near” Alfred Edward Payne, though not in the same location.

In addition to withholding the explicit details of the case, police are not saying how or if the man knew his alleged victim. Payne was jailed on a $100,000 secured bond.

In a separate report from Opposing Views, the crimes with which Alfred Edward Payne has been charged are both classified as felonies.

Indecent liberties, the site notes, are defined as “Willfully takes or attempts to take any immoral, improper, or indecent liberties with any child of either sex under the age of 16 years for the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire,” or when the offender, “Willfully commits or attempts to commit any lewd or lascivious act upon or with the body or any part or member of the body of any child of either sex under the age of 16 years.”

Facebook commenters didn’t need any further detail than that, characterizing the man as a “sick old pervert.”

Unfortunately, this sort of thing seems to happen far too often, and apartment complexes, with their open-door nature, are breeding grounds for abuse.

Take this separate Inquisitr story from last week where a convicted sex offender used his apartment complex as a place of recruitment for victims.

After being released from prison, it took Michael Shepard 18 months to rack up another seven victims.

The counts included allegedly raping a boy in his apartment a month after arriving, forcing eight- and 10-year-old brothers to commit sex acts on him at their “hideout,” enacting a “dare” game that “rewarded” children with sex acts for PlayStation games, forcing a 12-year-old boy to strip and wrestle him, and sexually battering a five-year-old girl while babysitting.

The big difference between the two cases — other than number of victims — is age. Some have wondered if locking up Alfred Edward Payne — if found guilty — is the right course of action, with perhaps a mental health facility being a better choice. But what do you think, readers? Sound off in the comments section.