Man accused of sexual assault arrested after videotape surrfaces

(12/21/05 - KTRK/TEXAS CITY, TX) (KTRK) -- A man is behind bars, accused of sexually assaulting two young children in his custody. And a bizarre series of events led to his arrest in South Carolina.

A videotape of those sex acts was recently found in a Texas City apartment. That disturbing videotape was apparently made in the summer of 2003. Chances are, it's been in a kitchen cupboard at the Mainland Crossing apartments ever since.

The man on the tape, Darrell Hinds, has turned himself in. He lived at the apartment complex in Texas City back in 2003. He apparently made the videotape of himself engaging in sex acts with children, including a baby and a child just a few years old.

The videotape was discovered by the next tenant of the apartment, but not until ten months after she moved in.

"The citizen lived in the same apartment he did," said prosecutor Joel Bennett. "After he moved out, sometime later after moving in, she discovered the tape in the apartment left over, put it in, and saw what was on it and turned it over to the police."

Once police got a hold of it, people at the complex were able to identify the man on the tape as Hinds. They tracked him down in South Carolina. He apparently turned himself in, waived extradition, and should be back in Texas in a week or two.

The good news, if there is any in this case, is that the children on the videotape have been located and they are safe. Texas City police say this investigation is ongoing and this may not be the last time Hinds is charged with an offense similar to this. This year, state lawmakers ordered an overhaul of the child welfare system and now the first newly trained CPS caseworkers are on the job. They've completed 12 weeks of training -- double the amount caseworkers used to receive. The state ordered the reform after several high profile cases of children dying after CPS investigated their homes, but failed to take action.
(Copyright © 2005, KTRK-TV)

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