‘We trusted him.’ New details revealed in Coast sex abuse case involving young boys.
A Perkinston man allegedly sexually assaulted young boys for years after he lured them to a farm to work and befriended them and their families, according to Hancock County sheriff’s investigators and the parents of those targeted.
The young boys, ages 5 to 14, didn’t tell their parents about the alleged assaults, the parents said, because the suspect, Bryan Keith Ladner, allegedly threatened to harm the boys or their families if they came forward with the allegations, the parents of the children told the Sun Herald.
“This is a man we invited into our homes,” said one of the parents, who is not being identified to protect the identity of the alleged victims. “He ate dinner with us. We thought he was a friend. We trusted him.”
Hancock County Sheriff’s Department Chief Investigator Glenn Grannan described Ladner as “a monster” and said sheriff’s investigators have identified at least six victims and expect to find others.
Ladner, 40, had a preliminary hearing Thursday in Hancock County Justice Court. While two sheriff’s investigators gave testimony in the case, Ladner kept his head down and never made eye contact with his family or the families of the alleged victims.
After the testimony, Judge Desmond Hoda determined there was enough evidence in the case to bound it over to a Hancock County grand jury for indictment.
Ladner is currently jailed on 10 counts of molestation and three counts each of sexual battery and producing child pornography, with additional charges expected to be filed. His bond is set at nearly $1 million.
Sheriff’s deputies learned of the alleged crimes after one of the boys, now in his teens, broke down and told his parents Ladner had been sexually assaulting him for years.
That boy’s parents then called the parents of other boys they knew worked at the Perkinston farm and the other allegations started to surface, authorities said.
The farm is owned by the suspect’s father.
Sheriff’s investigators Matt Sekinger and Kyle Michael testified at Thursday’s hearing.
The investigators said they obtained a warrant to search Ladner’s home after the parents drove to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department to report the crimes in November.
When the investigators got there, they headed to Ladner’s bedroom to look for a silver canister and found an assortment of digital camera cards that contained sexually-explicit images of the boys, they said.
The victims told authorities where to find the camera and the digital camera cards that contained the images, the investigators said.
Ladner’s attorney, Donald Rafferty, declined to comment Thursday.
“We believe there are other victims,” Grannan said. “We are asking them to come forward.”
To report information, call the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department at 228-466-6900.
