Pretrial detention extended --- Victims should contact Police --- Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Principal of John A Gumbs Campus of the Methodist Agogic Center Cedric Hodge will have to spend eight more days behind bars confirmed Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan. Maan said that the prosecution took the suspect who they are investigating for committing crimes involving a minors before the judge on Monday for the judge to approve their decision to keep the suspect in custody for few more days as they continue their investigation.
Cedric Hodge, a long time principal of the MAC School was detained on September 18th 2015 when police searched his home and seized certain items for their investigation.
On December 4th 2015, the prosecution decided to arrest Cedric Hodge when they managed to recover evidence on the electronics they seized from Hodge’s home in Dawn Beach on September 18th 2015.
SMN News learnt that Cedric Hodge has been charged with four counts of sexual misconduct involving minors. However, Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan refused to say what charges the prosecution brought against Hodge.
Hodge’s nightmare started earlier this year when the mother of a young boy asked his mother to go and meet Hodge at a Hotel late one night, according to the information SMN News gathered is the that the mother asked her son earlier that evening who he was texting on his cellular phone that night, and when her son asked her to allow him to go to a hotel to meet his school principal she got very concerned and took away his cellular phone and read the conversation Hodge was having with her minor son. SMN News further learnt that the woman took her son’s phone to the police where she filed an official complaint against Hodge. Further to that SMN News learnt that police even kept the phone and they were using it to communicate with Hodge in order to trap him. Even though all of that was done prior to Hodge’s arrest he was questioned on the day of the house search but was later released.
Last Friday KPSM and the prosecution sent out a joint press release asking possible victims to contact the police or the Court of Guardianship if they have information that could assist in the ongoing investigation. Below is the joint press release from law enforcement.
On Friday December 4th at approximately 08.05 a.m. 51-year old C.C.H. was arrested at his home in Dawn Beach. The arrest is a result of the investigation in which on the 18th of September of this year a house search was done by the judge of instruction, the public prosecutor and investigating police officers of KPSM. During this search numerous electronic devices were confiscated for further investigation. The suspect was questioned and released the same day.
During an in-depth investigation of the confiscated items new evidence of sexual misconduct has risen leaving the Public Prosecutor no other option than to arrest the suspect. The suspect remains in custody for further investigation.
Anyone who may have information or need any assistance in connection with this case can call the CRISIS-LINE of the Court of Guardianship #918 at any time and the phone numbers 54-24110 and 54-24115 during office hours.
Due to sensitivity of this investigation no further details regarding this case will be given at this time.