News

Girl accuses Durand man of molesting her in 2008

By MICHAEL PETERSON, Argus-Press Staff Writer

Friday, November 6, 2009 5:26 PM EST

CORUNNA - A 10-year-old girl testified Wednesday in 35th Circuit Court that a Durand man molested her while she spent the night at the home of her friend, the man's daughter.

David Duane Forsyth, 31, is charged with one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charge. A jury trial, before Judge Gerald Lostracco, began Wednesday with three witnesses testifying, including the girl. The trial is scheduled to continue today.

The Argus-Press does not identify victims of sexual assaults.

The girl's mother and Rhonda Ihm, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center of Shiawassee County, also took the stand in the case.

The alleged victim, who was 8, claimed she was molested by Forsyth in July of 2008. The girl said she couldn't sleep so she went into the living room to watch television. She testified Forsyth was sitting on a couch in the room, but she sat a different couch.

“He told me to ‘come here,' so I did,” she said. She said he told her to lay under him, pulled down her shorts and performed oral sex.

“It hurt kind of and it was really scratchy,” she said, explaining it was the man's beard that was “scratchy.”

She added that after he was finished, he told her to not tell anyone. It was two days later before she told anyone about the incident, saying she was too scared at first.

The girl's mother testified she found out about the incident two days later after she received a phone call at work from her boyfriend, who is now deceased, telling her the girl confided to him about the incident.

The mother said she then rushed home from work, talked to her daughter about what allegedly happened and then - because they had no working phone - left the house to contact the police. Outside of the home, the mom saw a Durand police officer on patrol, flagged him down and explained the situation.

“I was really upset and angry,” the mother said after being asked how she felt after her daughter told her about the alleged incident.

The girl later met Ihm at the Child Advocacy Center where Ihm conducted a forensic interview.

- Contact Michael Peterson at 725-5136 extension 223 or mpeterson@argus-press.com. Post comments about this story online at www.argus-press.com.

Comment on this Story

Durand wrote on Nov 10, 2009 10:56 PM:

" comments made about the victims family have no basis. The prosecution did not charge the Forsyth family, and there are issues there also. The Forsyth family closet is not clean. The issue is the jury believed the suspect, and not the 10 year old who told the same story again and again. Did David Forsyth take a polygraph? I bet the victim would pass it. "

john c. wrote on Nov 9, 2009 12:55 PM:

" typical shiawassee prosecution!!! i was accussed by the police of a crime by a drunk ( local drunk & bully ) who was drunk then as well, of beating him up along with 2 other of his buddies & wife, was also aquitted by our jury people, and almost lost my house due to the $ 30,000 it cost me to fight a corrupt, lying sheriffs deputies in this county, to hear those liars tell the story you would have thought they were at the scene when it all happened. well they couldn't ( deputies ) tell the lies well enough to prove that i ( 5'9" @ 150lbs. beat up 3 people, the main person who got injured in the altercation, being 6'6" @ 270 lbs.that i was the bad guy, liars get theirs to, it's called karma, isn't that right, ( deputy chapman ) !!! "

Jody wrote on Nov 7, 2009 3:22 PM:

" Mr. Forsyth was found not guilty. For 15 months Mr. Forsyth and his family and kids have been dealing with this.. They are also the victims on this case. This family helped another family out in every way possible and look where it got them. The girls mom boyfriend died back in July of UN- natural causes, he cause his own death.After Mr. Forsyth family stopped helping them out in every way possible.... all the children were taken away from that home. Something had to be going on there for those kids to be taken away. This News paper need to write apology letter to Mr. Forsyth and his family they have been through enough! The story was on sided and not all facts were included... and remember it took very little time for the jury to find him NOT GUILTY! "

upset at this community wrote on Nov 7, 2009 10:00 AM:

" The Deck was set against this man. The Child Advocacy Center was cofounded by the prosecutor of this county, Sara Edwards. They will swing the motive in their favor. This is about politics and not right and wrong. You can convince a child anything if it works in your favor. That is why children do not make good witnesses. "

get over it wrote on Nov 6, 2009 8:43 AM:

" When you have a trial like this the girls mothers reputation should not be a concern. What happened to believeing the child? All of you sound like your convicting the child! So he was found not guilty. Shiawassee county and Judge Lostracco seem to always let the child molestors go free. Glad my children aren't here! "

kali wrote on Nov 6, 2009 8:23 AM:

" How irresponsible of the paper. I hope the guy sues and wins big. Anyone can accuse anyone of anything and ruin a life. The press shouldn't promote this. "

Emily wrote on Nov 5, 2009 8:06 PM:

" I am very disappointed about this story being run like this. The verdict was not even out yet and now this man is going to have so much over his head. The verdict was not guilty and now he is going to be looked upon with bad thoughts from others. "

Dawn wrote on Nov 5, 2009 7:37 PM:

" This article is embarrassing!!!!! David Forsyth was found "NOT GUILTY" by the jury who deliberated under an hour. The Forsyth family has been drug throught the mud for 15 months by a mother who has not only no respect for herself but none for her young daughter. This article missed some facts, such as: the children were removed from the mothers home and are still in foster care. Why would the Argus-Press run such a damaging story before having "ALL" the facts or before the jury even has time to make their decision. I feel the Forsyth family deserves just as big of an apology printed as this article. "

you jumped the gun wrote on Nov 5, 2009 5:17 PM:

" This paper might want to wait to print a story until the end of a trial. Mr David Duane Forsyth was found guilty of all counts today. The jury came to that decision in just under an hour. I'd say this paper better print the rest of the story!!!!!! He was aquited without any thing being mentioned about the background of the girls family. Better be another story just as informative tomorrow on the front page or someone will be getting a lawyer. I would anyway. What happened to being innocent until proven guilty. Fire the reporter please I like the truth "

kim wrote on Nov 5, 2009 3:56 PM:

" if the guy gets convicted of the crime he will only get probation. victimless crimes are the only ones that go to prison in shiawassee county. because the courts and police depts are full of child molesters hiding in the closets. "