‘Top 10 Most Wanted’ Suspect in Child Assault Case Captured

Simon Porter, 33, was sought by authorities in the aggravated assault of a child on Nov. 10, 2018, after police in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., were notified by physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center TBI

Alabama officials arrested a suspect who was wanted for sexually assaulting a toddler in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) in a Nov. 18 update.

Simon Porter, 33, was sought by authorities in the aggravated assault of a child after police in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, were notified by physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center last week. The incident occurred on Nov. 10, WTSP reported.

The TBI said Porter “is now in custody. He was located and arrested by authorities in Scottsboro, Alabama. Thank you for helping us spread the word,” according to a tweet from the agency.

Fox13 in Memphis reported the assaulted boy is still hospitalized as of Nov. 18. “The little boy was hurt pretty bad,” said Lawrenceburg Police Lt. Blake Grooms, said WSVN.

In the middle of a police investigation, Porter fled, they said. “According to his wife, he took off and did not tell her where he was going. The last thing he told her [was] he was scared he was about to be arrested,” Grooms was quoted by the WSVN as saying.

Before his capture, the TBI had added him to its “Top 10 Most Wanted List.” There was a $2,500 reward for his capture.

According to KSDK, he lived in Lawrenceburg and had connections in Giles County and White House, Tennessee, as well as in north Alabama.

Mother Claims Innocence

Barbara Wright, the mother of Porter, called on her son to surrender, according to WKRN in a report on Nov. 16.

“Son please bring yourself in. I love you so much son, I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want nothing to happen to you (sic). Do the right thing, you know you didn’t do this, please bring yourself in, prove to them you are innocent,” she told the station.

Wright said her son is innocent, and she called on him to surrender and clear his name.

“Son, it’s going to be OK, just come in, and bring yourself in, they won’t do anything to you if you bring yourself in,” she said.

A reporter asked her if he’s dangerous, and she responded: “No, he’s not dangerous. He don’t have no guns, no knives (sic).”

But Josh DeVine with the TBI said it’s a terrible crime.

“The crime for which this man is accused is horrific,” he told WHNT. “It is something that sits with you as a law enforcement agency. It’s something that you want to make sure you’re doing everything in your capability to make sure this man is brought into custody.”

“We’re actually looking through this man’s history trying to determine if there might potentially be any leads in terms of people he might be associated with family members, previous employment, anything that might provide some clue as to where he might potentially be at this point,” he told the station.

Before the capture, officials said he might be driving in a 1997 green Chevy S-10 pickup truck that has a red tailgate and the Tennessee license plate 3G26Z9. Porter stands at about 5 feet 9 inches and has red hair and hazel eyes.

If you have any information, call local officials at 1-800-TBI-FIND.