By Vicky Wedig
SLN staff
A 16-year-old boy took the witness stand Monday and testified to physical, mental and sexual abuse at the hands of two brothers in Walworth County more than four years ago.
The boy estimated the abuse occurred when he was 5 to 7 years old – an allegation defense attorneys challenged. He revealed the alleged abuse during an assignment at Badger High School in November 2016 – three years after he no longer had contact with the accused.
The trial began Monday for Tayler A. Schoonover, 24, and Brady T. Schoonover, 22, who are charged with first-degree child sexual assault, contact with a child younger than 13 years old; causing a child to younger than 13 to view or listen to sexual activity; child enticement; and exposing their genitals to a child, all as a party to a crime.
Brady Schoonover is also charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child younger than 12 years old; and Tayler Schoonover is charged with an additional count of first-degree child sexual assault, contact with a child younger than 13.
All but two of the charges involve the 16-year-old boy. The others relate to an incident with his sister, now a 19-year-old woman, who also testified Monday.
The boy recounted incidents in which Tayler and Brady Schoonover required him to masturbate them, an incident in which Brady Schoonover forced the boy to perform oral sex on Brady and an incident when Brady Schoonover anally penetrated the boy.
Brady Schoonover’s defense attorney, Michael Murphy, said the boy’s statements about the age the boy was at the time of the abuse and where the abuse occurred conflict. He also questioned the boy’s delay in reporting the abuse.
For the full story, see this week’s Southern Lakes Newspapers including the Delavan Enterprise and the Lake Geneva Times. Visit www.mywalworthcounty.com for updates this week as the trial continues.
