A North Carolina brewery co-owner is facing multiple felony charges after authorities say he broke into a home and s**ually assaulted a 13-year-old girl.
Justin Tawse Brigham was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 10, according to a statement from the Stanly County Sheriff’s Office shared on social media. He has been charged with first-degree burglary, statutory rape of a child by an adult, and indecent liberties with a child.
Brigham, 44, appeared in District Court in Stanly County on Thursday, Dec. 11, where a judge set a $10 million secured bond, the sheriff’s office said. He is being held at the Stanly County Detention Center, according to jail records.
Deputies were called to a residential home after the girl’s parents reported finding “an unknown adult male” in her room, police said. After the alleged assault, Brigham was found completely undressed inside a vehicle near the victim’s home, authorities added. The sheriff’s office has not publicly released further details about the ongoing investigation.
Brigham was the co-owner of Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte, N.C., a popular spot in the city, according to WSOC-TV. The brewery is co-owned by Brigham’s wife, Sarah Taylor.
In a statement posted to Sycamore Brewing’s Instagram page on Thursday, Taylor said she was “devastated” by the allegations and the harm they have caused.
“Effective immediately, I am assuming full leadership of the company,” Taylor wrote, adding that Brigham is divesting his interest and “will have no further involvement.” She also said the company’s employees and operations are her highest priority.
Separately, Wilmington, N.C., beer garden Freya’s Haus said in a Facebook announcement that it would remove Sycamore products from its shelves.
“Effective immediately, we’re pulling all Sycamore Brewing products,” the statement said, adding that proceeds from remaining sales would be donated to a local rape crisis center supporting survivors.
