An Oklahoma woman who says she walked in on a suspected sex offender molesting her children chased the man and beat him with a pool cue until a bystander who misunderstood the situation helped him escape.
The woman told police that her children, aged 5 and 6, were visiting their grandmother's house in Duncan. She walked in to find a man identified as Eric Sean Absher, 40, exposing himself to the children and having inappropriate sexual contact with them. She said she grabbed the nearest thing she could find--the pool cue--and began hitting Absher with it as he ran away. He stopped a passerby and said, "This woman is crazy," convincing the person to take him away from the scene.
Acting on tips and information from the public, police arrested Absher the next day. He was booked into the Stephens County jail. He was charged Tuesday with five counts of lewd acts with a child under 12.
At the time of the alleged incident, Absher was out on bond after having been charged in February with lewd acts with a child under 12 in a separate case in Stephens County. In that case, two children were at Absher's home on January 16 with their parents to discuss construction work. The children, including a 5-year-old girl, were watching a DVD in Absher's room as the adults discussed business. The girl says that the man stood in the hallway and exposed himself to them before motioning the girl to come closer. As she approached, she says, he grabbed her and tried to force her to touch his genitals, but she was able to pull away and run to tell her parents. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest on February 25, and in early March, he was arrested and originally held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
The suspect also has pending cases for second degree forgery in Stephens County and a drug case in Oklahoma County where he is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of drug proceeds, possession of Xanax, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Lewd or Indecent Proposals or Acts to a Child under 16 is a felony sex crime that, in general, is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison. However, if the crime involves a child or children under the age of 12, the penalty is much more severe. Conviction of lewd acts with a child under 12 brings a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison. As a result of the allegations against him in January and June, Absher has been charged with six counts of lewd acts with a child under 12 in two separate cases. He faces 25 years to life for each count if convicted.
Lewd or Indecent Proposals or Acts to a Child under 16 is a Level III sex crime which will require a person convicted of that offense to register for life as sex offender.
