STANLY COUNTY, NC - The owner of a popular Charlotte, North Carolina, brewery has been arrested after allegedly breaking into the home of a 13-year-old girl and sexually assaulting her.
The alleged suspect, 44-year-old Justin Tawse Brigham, was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, December 10 and has been charged with first-degree burglary, statutory rape of a child by an adult, and indecent liberties with a child, the Stanly County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) confirmed in a statement on Facebook.
Brigham made his first appearance in District Court in Stanly County on Thursday, December 11, where his secure bond was set at $10 million. He is currently being held at the Stanly County Detention Center, according to jail records reviewed by PEOPLE.
Police were called to a residential home after the 13-year-old's parents found "an unknown adult male" in her bedroom. Brigham was discovered completely undressed in a vehicle near the alleged victim's home following the assault, police said. Brigham was the co-owner of Sycamore Brewing, a popular spot in Charlotte.
The brewery is co-owned by Brigham's wife, Sarah Taylor. "To our employees, customers, and partners, I am devastated by the charges against Justin and the pain this has inflicted on our family and others," Taylor wrote on the Brewery's Instagram. "Effective immediately, I am assuming full leadership of the company. Justin is divesting all of his interests and will have no further involvement. Our team remains my highest priority as a mom and a business owner," she concluded in her statement.
Since the alleged crime, Wilmington, N.C. beer garden Freya's Haus shared in an announcement that it would be pulling Sycamore's products off of their shelves. "Effective immediately, we're pulling all Sycamore Brewing products," the statement began. "Every dollar from remaining sales will be donated to our local rape crisis center, supporting survivors in our community. We believe accountability and care for people matter more than silence."
Other bars have also announced that they will no longer carry Sycamore products, including Bargarita in NoDa and Hoppin' in SouthEnd, according to WSCO-TV.
The alleged suspect, 44-year-old Justin Tawse Brigham, was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, December 10 and has been charged with first-degree burglary, statutory rape of a child by an adult, and indecent liberties with a child, the Stanly County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) confirmed in a statement on Facebook.
Brigham made his first appearance in District Court in Stanly County on Thursday, December 11, where his secure bond was set at $10 million. He is currently being held at the Stanly County Detention Center, according to jail records reviewed by PEOPLE.
Police were called to a residential home after the 13-year-old's parents found "an unknown adult male" in her bedroom. Brigham was discovered completely undressed in a vehicle near the alleged victim's home following the assault, police said. Brigham was the co-owner of Sycamore Brewing, a popular spot in Charlotte.
The brewery is co-owned by Brigham's wife, Sarah Taylor. "To our employees, customers, and partners, I am devastated by the charges against Justin and the pain this has inflicted on our family and others," Taylor wrote on the Brewery's Instagram. "Effective immediately, I am assuming full leadership of the company. Justin is divesting all of his interests and will have no further involvement. Our team remains my highest priority as a mom and a business owner," she concluded in her statement.
Since the alleged crime, Wilmington, N.C. beer garden Freya's Haus shared in an announcement that it would be pulling Sycamore's products off of their shelves. "Effective immediately, we're pulling all Sycamore Brewing products," the statement began. "Every dollar from remaining sales will be donated to our local rape crisis center, supporting survivors in our community. We believe accountability and care for people matter more than silence."
Other bars have also announced that they will no longer carry Sycamore products, including Bargarita in NoDa and Hoppin' in SouthEnd, according to WSCO-TV.
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