Eight boys may have been prey for Chattanooga rape suspect

photo Charles David Pugh

A Chattanooga man suspected of sexually abusing as many as eight boys and young men over several years worked as an engineer and shop machinist at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum until July, officials confirmed Monday.

Charles David Pugh, 45, was arrested Monday and charged with one count of aggravated statutory rape after detectives say he raped a 16-year-old boy at his house in late 2010.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services alerted detectives at the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office to the alleged abuse in June after identifying eight males who may have been sexually abused by Pugh.

The report noted Pugh was employed in a "capacity that placed him in a position of trust and limited authority over young men."

Pugh was fired from the railroad museum in July when museum officials learned about the investigation and "possible criminal charges pertaining to activities outside his employment," museum officials said in a statement Monday.

Officials could not immediately confirm how long Pugh had worked for the museum or whether his duties regularly brought him into contact with young men.

But a man familiar with the situation said the allegations of abuse had been around for several years and that some workers at the museum knew about them.

"The victims were afraid to come forward because of ... attitudes toward the perpetrator," he said.

The now 18-year-old victim told investigators the 2010 rape was one of many that spanned several years, according to the affidavit. He said the rape that Pugh is charged with happened between Nov. 1 and Dec. 23, 2010.

Detectives spoke to at least three other alleged victims whose cases could have warranted criminal charges, but the statute of limitations in those instances had expired, Detective Ed Merritt wrote in the affidavit.

The statute of limitations for the charge of aggravated statutory rape is four years in Tennessee.

Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com.

Contact staff writer Hannah Smith at 423-757-6731 or hsmith@timesfreepress.com.

Upcoming Events