The Autism News | English


Just as a 14-year-old autistic girl deboarded her school bus at 8:00 am at a Rutherford County high school on October 28, 36-year-old William Gilbert Barnett Jr. of Clarksville, Tennessee, picked her up and allegedly raped her in his truck. Barnett returned her to the school bus stop around 4:00 pm after school. He has been charged with three rape charges and three counts of aggravated sexual battery. It’s a chilling case, for schools and for parents of autistic children who often struggle to interpret social cues and to grasp the intentions of an individual like that of the accused in this case.

Detective Sgt. Mickey McCullough said that, due to being autistic, the girl was “gullible, naïve, innocent and willing to please others.” Barnett had met her in August; the girl’s parents were aware of this and told Barnett that she was — like my autistic son — 14 years old. But Barnett communicated to the girl via texting and had arranged to meet her outside of school grounds on October 28. DNJ.com does not specifically state if the girl told her parents about what had happened. It’s noted that, on November 1, the girl’s mother told police that her daughter had been sexually assaulted and underwent a sexual abuse examination at Our Kids clinic in Nashville.

While the girl’s difficulties with communication made questioning her difficult for police, they were able to identify Barnett, who was on parole for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, as a suspect. Police arrested Barnett when he met with a parole officer. He is being held on $450,000 bail at the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

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