Sexual assault of 15-year-old

SMITH COUNTY – Records have revealed that a man was arrested in Smith County after he allegedly had sexual relationships with a 15-year-old girl and provided her with illegal drugs.

According to our news partner KETK and an arrest affidavit, the victim was found on Feb. 24 inside a vehicle in a parking garage in Tyler. After being found, the victim, who had run away from home, was returned to her grandmother by the Tyler Police Department. Following her return, officers with Tyler PD began an investigation after the victim had admitted to using illegal drugs and engaging in sexual intercourse inside a motel room with a man later identified as James Brummett.

While investigators spoke with the victim’s grandmother, she stated that while her granddaughter was missing, she received text messages starting on Feb. 22 from an unknown phone number that was later revealed to be Brummett’s. The texts were believed to have been sent from the victim, who had told her grandmother that she was safe and an hour away from Tyler in Canton, according to the affidavit.

On Feb. 26, detectives arrived at the Relax Inn in Smith County, which was the motel that they believed Brummett had taken the victim to. A motel employee told detectives that Brummett was still checked into a room and typically returned to the motel in the evening after work. The employee also provided officials with Brummett’s phone number and license plate.

After leaving the motel, detectives went to the victim’s home, where she spoke about how she met Brummett and the events that transpired afterwards. According to the affidavit, the victim stated that while she was in the parking lot of a Walmart Neighborhood Market, Brummett approached her in his vehicle and offered to give her a ride to where she needed to go.

After agreeing to enter Brummett’s vehicle, the victim told him she didn’t have anything to do and asked if he wanted to hang out, prompting Brummett to take her to the Relax Inn Motel, where his sister and roommate were.

The victim also told detectives that she had initially told Brummett that she was 18 years old before later telling him that she was actually 16.

During her time at the motel, the victim stated that Brummett had provided her with several different illegal drugs, including meth, cocaine and marijuana, according to the arrest affidavit. The victim also admitted to having sexual relations with Brummet on both nights that she was at the motel, according to Brummett’s affidavit.

Officers later spotted Brummet’s vehicle in a small parking lot near the Eagle Mart gas station on the Southeast Loop 323 in Tyler and later did a traffic stop on his vehicle near Faulkner Street. During the stop, Brummett was asked about the victim and stated he did not know initially that she had run away from home.

Brummett later admitted to taking the victim back to the motel and stated that once he found out that she had run away from home, he advised her to contact someone and let them know where she was.

While continuing to speak with officials, Brummett denied any drug use or providing the victim with drugs. He also denied having any physical contact with the victim, stating he did not touch her, according to the affidavit.

On March 2, after detectives gathered more information that was contradictory to Brummett’s earlier statement, he was arrestedon March 6 and charged with sexual assault of a child.