Darron Gray Beeding’s attorney and his brother told a Superior Court judge last week that Beeding was the victim of a vendetta by a teenager who was angry he and his mother were being asked to leave the residence they shared with Beeding.

Julie Parker, who represented Beeding, said: “My client has maintained all along he is not guilty. The alleged victim and his mother lived with Mr. Beeding a number of years, and upon his asking them to leave, the alleged victim was heard to say, ‘If you throw my mother out, these are the things I will say about you’.”

What the alleged victim said was that Beeding sexually assaulted him.

According to Assistant DA Rob Taylor, who interviewed the victim when it became apparent the victim was uncomfortable with a female interviewer, the victim was “somewhat addicted to marijuana and synthetic marijuana,” and Beeding offered drugs to him in exchange for sexual acts.

Beeding, 45, of Mocksville, was charged with taking indecent liberties with a child, sexual offense with a child, and two counts of statutory rape/sexual offense with a victim over the age of 6. He was also charged with a probation violation.

To four counts of taking indecent liberties with a minor, Beeding entered an Alford plea, which is a guilty plea but with no admission of guilt.

Parker said the allegations were unusual, in that Beeding has a history of larceny and those types of criminal behavior. She said his probation violation came about because he was evicted and simply forgot to call his probation officer to let them know he had moved.

“This gentleman has a heart as big as all outdoors,” Parker told Judge Kevin Bridges. “He has had a hard time understanding how people he welcomed into his home could turn on him like this. He’s gone a very long time without being in court, and this is extremely out of character for him.”

Beeding’s brother tearfully told Bridges Beeding is the only sibling he has left and their mother died not long ago. He said he overheard the alleged victim saying what Beeding had done, but added, “I will never believe my brother is guilty of any of this. I stand behind him 100 percent. I would trust him with my own 4-year-old daughter any day of my life.”

Beeding’s father tried to speak but was overcome with emotion and sat back down.

Bridges sentenced Beeding to 15 to 27 consecutive months on each count. He was given credit for time he served after his arrest and before trial and was ordered to have no contact with the victim for the rest of his life. In prison, Beeding must receive sex offender treatment and a substance abuse assessment, and upon his release from prison, he will be on the sex offender registry for 30 years. He must pay court costs and an attorney fee.

On the probation violation, his probation was revoked and his active sentence placed into effect, to run concurrently with his other sentences.

Before he left the courtroom, Beeding asked the bailiff if he could say goodbye to the four family members in the courtroom, but the bailiff said no. He called out to his family that he loved them.