CUMMING, Ga. -- A man who worked at a Forsyth County skating rink
is facing two counts of child molestation after two girls report he
told them "Show me your boobs."
The mothers of the girls at the center of the charges don't want to
use their names or faces because they want to protect the identities of
their daughters. They say that same motherly instinct has them speaking
out in case others were affected.
"This was in a public facility meant for youth," one mom told WXIA.
The mothers, a police report, and confirmation from the Forsyth
County Sheriff's Office detail what happened Saturday, Sept. 22.
The 10- and 11-year-old girls were dropped off at the Let's Roll
Skating Rink in Cumming. Fifty-three-year-old Ricky Westbrooks was also
there that night. He'd been working at Let's Roll Family Fun Center as a
handyman since the beginning of the year. That night, he was working at
the concessions stand.
The girls had lost their spending money and asked Westbrooks if they
could buy glow sticks and have their mom pay when she picked them up.
Instead, they say, he propositioned them.
"He told them, 'come back when everyone else is gone,'" one mother
said. The girls waited until the line was gone, then went back up. He
reportedly said, "I have two blue glow sticks. What are they worth to
you?" then, "Show me your boobs."
The girls did what they were taught -- ran from him, told another adult, called their mom.
"She was extremely upset, to where she couldn't really tell me what was wrong," the mother of the 11 year old said.
When she arrived at the rink, the police hadn't yet been called. She
said the manager on site put the girls and Westbrooks in a closed-door
room, then told the girls they needed to again tell what happened, this
time to his face. The girls were upset and frantic.
"They were very creeped out by it. They don't understand why a man in his 50's would be doing this," the mom said.
Westbrooks was later arrested and charged with two counts of child molestation. He remains in the Forsyth County jail.
Trey and Penny Butler, the owners of Let's Roll, sent us the following statement:
Due to the seriousness of the accusations brought against Mr.
Westbrooks, we have terminated his employment with our company. We are
in full cooperation with the Forsyth County Sheriff's department and
have the utmost confidence that they will investigate this to the
fullest. As business owners and parents ourselves, we are very concerned
and hopeful that this will be resolved soon. Once the full
investigation has been completed we will be able to comment more on the
situation. Our main mission at our facility is to provide a safe family
environment and we will continue to make every effort to do so in the
future.
Westbrooks has denied he propositioned the girls that Saturday night.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's office tells 11Alive News he was not a
registered sex offender, and there have been no other reports against
him or anyone at the skating rink. The girls' parents are worried other
kids might NOT have reported it. It's one reason they wanted to share
their story.
"If he's brazen enough to approach them and make this comment in
public, what has he done before or what is he willing to do next?" one
of the mothers worried.
The Forsyth County Sheriff's office says any information should be
passed along to detectives in the Criminal Investigations Division at
(770) 781-2200.