Hawkins County man accused of kidnapping his niece now charged with child rape

This arrest photo made available by the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office shows Gary Lewis Simpson, 57, on Friday, May 13, 2016, in Rogersville, Tenn. Simpson was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping of his 9-year-old niece.
This arrest photo made available by the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office shows Gary Lewis Simpson, 57, on Friday, May 13, 2016, in Rogersville, Tenn. Simpson was arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping of his 9-year-old niece.

The Hawkins County man accused of kidnapping his niece, 9-year-old Carlie Trent, in May, now faces charges of aggravated sexual battery and rape of a child, according to the Hawkins County Sheriff's Office.

Gary Simpson is charged with especially aggravated kidnapping, custodial interference, rape of a child and aggravated sexual battery, according to the Sheriff's Office. He is being held at the Hawkins County jail on a $1 million bond.

On May 4, then-57-year-old Gary Simpson picked up Carlie from her Rogersville, Tenn., school after he falsely claimed Carlie's father had been in an accident, authorities said. Simpson once had custody of Carlie and was authorized to pick her up from school, but a court had since returned custody to her biological father. The school was never notified of the change in custody.

Read more at our news partner's website, knoxnews.com.

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