Powers to be sentenced May 27 on abuse conviction

The visit of a family to the home of Sheriff Dennis Lee began an investigation that led to the conviction of a Holmes County man on charges of sexual battery last week.

Christopher Stephen Powers, 40, who also formerly lived in Bay County, was convicted on charges of sexual battery on a person under 12 years of age, and lewd and lascivious molestation on a child older than 12 but younger than 16, Tuesday, April 29. Powers will be sentenced on May 29 in Holmes County Circuit Court and faces life in prison.

The jury of five women and one man was out for an hour and 35 minutes and returned a unanimous verdict in Holmes County Circuit Court before Circuit Judge William Wright of Blountstown. Circuit Judge Allen Register removed himself from trying the case due to his son being involved in the investigation with the staff of the 14th District State Attorney’s Office.

In all, Powers has been charged with four sexual offenses in Holmes County and one in Bay County involving a boy in both counties. No other trial dates have been set in either county.

 All four of Powers' victims were also taken to Bay Copunty.

Lt. Chris Wells of the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation and spoke about the case Monday. He said the victim in the case, tried last week, disclosed what happened with Powers to a family member.

“They then drove to Sheriff Lee’s residence,” Wells said. “We then met here at the Sheriff’s Office and began the investigation.

That investigation began in spring of 2007, and a pattern began emerging. Wells said that interviewing one boy led to the name of another boy known to be with Powers, and then to another boy and so on.  None of the boys were older than teenage, and the case tried last week involved a boy 11 years old at the time of the offense in 2004. Powers was convicted for sexual abuse beginning when the boy in question was 11 years old, and continuing from July 2004 to September 2005, when the victim disassociated himself from Powers.

Powers was arrested on June 6, 2007 and was originally charged with capital sexual battery, but the charge was later reduced.  Powers lured the boys in using various methods, Wells said.

“He provided rewards and incentives,” Wells said. “He had all the latest video games.” The gifts, however, stayed at Powers’ house. “The boys had to come to his places in Holmes or Bay County for access.”

Powers has also been HIV positive for a number of years, Wells said, and admitted that to the boys. He also admitted in an interview with investigators after his arrest that he used protection “sometimes” with the victims.

“They all knew,” Wells said, “but kids may not realize the consequences.” He said all the victims have tested negative for HIV, but may need to be tested for a long period of time.

Powers was with one of the victims when he was arrested at his Bay County residence. Wells said Powers invoked his Miranda rights when he was arrested, but asked to speak to investigators on June 16, 2007 at the Holmes County Jail. Wells said that several times Powers said that whatever the boys told Wells about their abuse would be true.

Powers told investigators that he wanted to confess to the various crimes and “and be put to death as soon as possible with no appeals,” according to the transcript of the interview on file at Holmes County Courthouse.

Powers told investigators that he met one boy at a Christmas party at a church and took two boys to Maine in an RV. He also said that he took pictures of the boys and took boys between Holmes and Bay counties.

Powers is a native of Augusta, ME, where he was known as Stephen William Pelkey before he changed his name. He also lived in California.

In one of Powers’ last comments to investigators, he said, “When people get to a point where they feel like they have no hope in their life, they start doing dumb things.”