A jury took six minutes today to acquit 44-year-old Grady Gray, who had been charged with indecency with a child. He faced five to 20 years in prison if he had been convicted.
Gray, who is a former Pinehurst fire chief, was indicted on the felony charge last year. During court testimony on Tuesday, the teenage girl who was his former stepdaughter testified she sometimes slept in Gray’s bed after he and her mother separated. Her mother had taken the bed in her bedroom and she either had to sleep on the couch or get in the bed with Gray.
She said while she was asleep one night in November 2015, he put his hands between her thighs and brushed her privates. Her mother testified that Gray was like her father, but after the incident, the girl was scared of him.
Gray’s defense was that he had taken a sleeping pill and did not know the girl was going to sleep with him that night. He contended that any touch was accidental.
The trial was held before 128th District Judge Courtney Arkeen. Lawyer Michael Catt of Orange represented Gray. Assistant District Attorney Phillip Smith was the prosecutor.
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