San Angelo Woman's Life Torn Apart by Heinous Crimes of Close Relative

A 50-year-old Brady man was recently sentenced to 75 years in prison after admitting to many of the allegations made in an eight-count indictment accusing him a sexually abusing a close, underage relative over the span of at least three years. We are withholding the exact relationship the man had with his victim to protect the identity of the victim.

Gregory Carl Lohn, a long-term resident of McCulloch County and former employee of Kohler in nearby Brownwood, was first indicted in August 2013 on nine counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child in the 198^th Judicial District.

The abuse, which the victim described as including various forms of sexual intercourse, ‘birthday sex’ and psychological trauma, began when she was 11 and continued for nine years, she stated in court. Word of the abuse first reached law enforcement when she was in college.

“According to the testimony from the victim, she told her boyfriend, the boyfriend told his mother, the mother called a counselor in San Angelo. Erica Grimes, the counselor, met with the victim and took her to the San Angelo Police Department,” 425nd District Attorney Tonya Ahlschwede recalled. “A detective there referred the case to the McCulloch County Sheriff’s office and the deputy directed the victim to write out her statement on the side of the road.”

After taking the victim’s roadside handwritten statement, the Sheriff arrested Lohn and a grand jury convened that ultimately indicted him on the nine counts. When the 198^th Judicial District splintered in September 2013, the case was turned over to Ahlschwede, who called for more investigation, with the assistance of the Texas Attorney General’s Office. With more evidence in hand, the DA summoned another grand jury.

In October 2014, a McCulloch County grand jury returned an eight-count indictment that narrowed the dates of the sexual abuse from the original May 2002-2008 to specific dates in February 2005, November 2006 and August 2008. These were dates that the victim could recall with confidence and clarity.

Seven months after the new indictment was handed down, Lohn waived his right to a jury trial and announced himself ready to plea. On March 17, Lohn pled guilty to count one in the indictment before Judge Robert Hofmann. But there had been no deal.

“The State and the defense were unable to reach a plea agreement in regard to the amount of punishment in the case,” Ahlschwede said.

A mini-trial focusing only on the punishment phase followed a month after the plea on June 15. Then, the state called psychological experts and the victim to give testimony, while the defense called to the stand the girl’s mother, brother and the defendant, Gregory Lohn.

“At the punishment phase of the trial, the State called Melodee Huggins, a counselor who treated the victim,” Ahlschwede said. “The counselor recalled the abuse the victim described and, based upon her expert opinion, said that the victim would likely never have ‘normal’ relationships with others due to the violation of trust.”

The victim, now in her 20s, was also called to the stand to recount the abuse she had suffered over the years. 

“The victim testified about the first time she remembers sexual intercourse was when she was about 11 years old,” Ahlschwede recalled. “She was curious about sex and was looking things up on the internet. When [Lohn] discovered her browsing history, he said he would show her about sex.“ She also noted that abuse continued on certain dates and in certain places, including regular intercourse each year on her and Lohn’s birthdays.

As she gave testimony, the girl remained quiet and soft spoken, admitting that she was nervous about taking the stand. Her mother sat in the courtroom as she spoke, but she showed little emotion as her daughter recounted the various forms of sexual abuse, Ahlschwede said.

After the state rested, the defense called the mother, brother, the defendant, and an expert witness to the stand to give testimony. Speaking on behalf of Lohn, the victim’s mother denied knowing anything of the abuse, but admitted before the court that she had told investigators for the Texas Rangers and the Attorney General’s Office that it ‘wasn’t like he had raped her or anything’. The victim’s brother also testified that he had been unaware of the repeated abuse his sister had endured, but said he had ‘sort of’ missed her since she had left the home.

When it was his turn to testify, Lohn admitted to almost all of the allegations in the eight counts of the indictment, denying small details, such as saying that the birthday sex happened sometimes, but not every year. His demeanor remained matter-of-fact as he relayed what had happened, showing very little emotion.

At the conclusion of the trial, Ahlschwede made no recommendation for punishment, asking Judge Hofmann to assess what he deemed reasonable based on the evidence. Hofmann returned a sentence of 75 years.

“We are very pleased with the 75-year sentence handed down by Judge Hofmann,” Ahlschwede said. “No term of years can be too many for someone convicted of sexual assault of a child.  My office will continue to prosecute child abuse cases to the fullest extent of the law.”

The victim was attending Howard Payne University on scholarship when Lohn was put in jail. She later enrolled at ASU and obtained grants, but withdrew due to the stress. She still resides in San Angelo.