Dallas grandparents accused of molesting granddaughter
Two Dallas grandparents are accused of molesting their now 3-year-old granddaughter when she was 1 and 2 years old.
Investigators say 70-year-old old Julie Wright and 71-year-old Douglass wright took pornographic photos of a child.
The child's maternal grandparents had been raising red flags about the care of their granddaughter for nearly two years. They want to know why the abuse wasn't discovered sooner.
Maternal grandparents Ron and Gladys Jahn wish the abuse their little granddaughter has allegedly gone through could have somehow been prevented. They were awarded custody of the child in June 2016 after the girl's parents were stripped of their rights. Her paternal grandparents were given rights to unsupervised visits.
The Jahns say they had concerns about the child's welfare during the visits early on and took pictures of severe bug bites, a scrape that somehow happened underneath where her diaper would be and a mark on her cheek. But they said they felt like they were hitting roadblocks everywhere while working through attorneys and the court system.
In December 2016, the little girl's pre-school director even reported concerns to CPS after seeing an unusual scrape and allegedly hearing the little girl say that Grandpa Doug took pictures of her private parts.
But it wasn't until last October after another unsupervised visit that the alleged abuse was finally exposed when the Jahns took the child to the hospital for what they described as excruciating pain. Doctors reported the potential sexual abuse to authorities.
The arrest affidavit says a CPS caseworker conducting an interview with the Wrights discovered a nude photo of the child on a computer in the home.
"She caught it out of the corner of her eye,” said Michael Wysocki, the Jahns’ family attorney. “Made a comment that prompted paternal grandfather to close the screen down fairly quickly."
The affidavit says the Wrights claimed their attorney advised them to take the photos as protection against claims of abuse.
Wysocki seized on the comment from the caseworker at the next court hearing.
"I asked out of the gate if they had nude images of the child on their computer at home,” Wysocki said. “Mrs. Wright answered affirmatively, ‘Yes. We have nude images of the child on our computer.’"
After police obtained a search warrant, the affidavit says they found 547 nude images of the child on the Wrights’ computers. Both are now charged with sexual performance by a child, a first-degree felony.
FOX 4 reached out to attorneys for the Wrights. Julie’s criminal defense attorney sent over her application for bond reduction. It emphasized that she has no criminal record, is active in her church, and is the clinical coordinator for Justice For Our Neighbors, an organization that provides legal assistance for poor immigrants.
Both of the Wrights are now out on bond but are prohibited from having contact with children.