KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A previously convicted child molester was found guilty of abusing another child, according to the Knox County District Attorney General's Office.
Bryan Anthony Capps was convicted of sexual battery by an authority figure, sexual battery and violation of the sex offender registry, according to DA Charme Allen. Judge Steve Sword revoked Capps' bond, ordered him to custody and set the case for sentencing on Dec. 8, the DA's office said.
Capps was already a registered sex offender after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to a sexual battery case where he molested a 12-year-old child.
Assistant DA Heather Good and Ashley McDermott argued during a two-day trial that the 14-year-old victim was at Capps' home on Aug. 9, 2020, when he sexually molested them, according to a release from the DA's office.
The victim disclosed the abuse to a family member who contacted Capps' mother, who asked them not to report the abuse to authorities, according to the DA's office. The Knoxville Police Department was notified to interview witnesses, and the victim was forensically interviewed at ChildHelp Tennessee.
After the jury returned a verdict on the first part of the case, a KPD investigator testified that Capps was already a convicted sex offender at the time of the offense, according to the Knox County DA's Office.
"At the sentencing hearing, we will seek a lengthy prison sentence so this offender cannot harm another child," Allen said.
Sexual battery by an authority figure is a Class C felony, which can be sentenced to between three and six years in prison. Sexual battery and violation of the sex offender registry are Class E felonies, which can be sentenced to one to two years in prison, the DA's office said.