Trial begins for 72-year-old Newville woman accused of not preventing repeated sexual abuse

www.pennlive.com: CARLISLE — The prosecution said Mildred Brown knew about the sexual assaults her husband was committing in their house, but she did nothing to stop the situation or report it to the authorities.

But her attorney argued before a Cumberland County jury Monday that Brown was unaware of the abuse, and the prosecution will be unable to prove that she had any knowledge of it.

Trial started Monday for Mildred M. Brown, the 72-year-old wife of Robert W. Brown, also 72, of Newville, who was sentenced in April to up to 120 years in state prison in the sexual abuse of four children.

And eight months after Robert Brown’s sentencing, his wife is on trial in Cumberland County Court, facing four counts of endangering the welfare of children.

Senior Assistant District Attorney Emily Provencher said Mildred Brown put four children in danger by not protecting them from her husband, who was convicted in August 2012 of all 42 counts of sexual abuse that had been filed against him.

Provencher told the jury in her opening statements that Robert Brown repeatedly abused two of the children for five years.

She said Mildred Brown knew that her husband showed the female victim pornographic material, and told the jury she had walked in on the male victim performing oral sex on her husband.

“Instead of reacting, or doing anything, she walked out,” Provencher said. “She did not report this to anyone. Even worse than not reporting it, she allowed it to go on.”

Robert Brown abused the two children for years, and “they’ll tell you while that was going on, that woman was there,” Provencher said, pointing at Mildred Brown.

It wasn’t until the mother of two other children walked in on Robert Brown abusing those children that the sexual assaults were reported to the police, Provencher said. After Robert Brown was arrested, the first two children felt safe enough, with him behind bars, to step forward and tell their mother and the authorities, what happened to them.

But Mildred Brown’s attorney, Shawn Dorward, pointed out to the jury in his opening statements that he and his client are not there in support of Robert Brown.

“The monster was convicted. He is where he needs to be,” Dorward said.

This case is not about her husband. It’s about whether Mildred Brown knew what was happening, and Dorward said she did not.

He said interviews between the police and Mildred Brown, which will be presented at trial, will show her surprise and shock at what had happened without her knowledge in her home.

The female victim, now 16, took the stand Monday, and testified that the abuse went on for years, and she and the male victim were afraid to go to Brown’s house.

She said Mildred Brown knew what was going on and had found pornographic images in the history of the computer, as well as sex toys lying around. Mildred Brown also knew that her husband was bathing the children inappropriately, the female victim testified.

And the boy, who is now 18, said Mildred Brown was home when some of the abuse happened. The assaults started when he was 12, he said, and they occurred, “more than I can count.”

While Mildred Brown was home, Robert Brown would sexual abuse the children, the victims testified. The male victim added that she caught him performing oral sex on Robert Brown.

“She walked in, stood for a second, and walked out,” the boy said. “She didn’t say a word.”

But on cross examination, Dorward pointed out the female victim told police at the time of Robert Brown’s arrest that Mildred Brown knew nothing about the abuse.

And Dorward also said during the interviews when Robert Brown was first arrested in 2010, that the boy testified most of the incidents happened while Mildred Brown was at work.

Testimony will continue Tuesday after the brother reviews the transcript of the interview.