Skateboarder and mentor to NC kids arrested on child sex crime charges, police say
A skateboarder who mentored Charlotte-area children used his role to sexually abuse minors for nearly two decades, according to police.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers arrested Wayne “Ray” Goff at his Gaston County home on Monday. Mount Holly Police assisted with the arrest, CMPD officials said at news conference Wednesday.
Eight adults have come forward so far to say they were abused as children, and there could be more, CMPD said.
The alleged abuse occurred between 1993 and 2010, CMPD said.
Goff, 52, was first arrested on March 21 on four counts of indecent liberties with a child and first-degree sex offense of a child. He was released on a $60,000 bond, according to CMPD and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
He was arrested again Monday on 10 additional warrants of indecent liberties with a minor. He has been transferred to the Mecklenburg County Jail.
Most of the cases involve young males, and at least one woman has come forward, police said.
None of the individuals know each other, but they are all part of the skating community, according to CMPD Detective Misty James, the lead investigator.
Goff’s attorney for his initial set of charges, Susan Weigand, could not be reached for comment.
Goff appeared in court Wednesday on his first set of charges. His next appearance will be June 6 for a scheduling conference, according to the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office.
Concerned father spurred investigation
The investigation began in February, when police received an email from someone asking what he could do if he was sexually assaulted during the 1990s, when he was around 13, James said.
“The reason he came forward was because his son wanted to learn to skate,” James said. “And as soon as his son said that, he did not want to not teach his son to skate, and the emotion started coming out ...”
“He didn’t want his son to be also a victim of a man such as Ray Goff,” she said.
More people began to come forward as they investigated, James said. She said their stories were very similar, and consistent with the way the assaults would occur.
There’s no case too old to investigate with a juvenile victim, James said.
“Juvenile sexual assault victims often don’t come forward. They’re embarrassed in the 90s. It wasn’t like the day we’re living in today, people don’t want to talk about it,” James said. “ Even if you don’t want to prosecute your case, we’re encouraging you to come forward and your case will help the others.”
Child sex abuse ‘more common’
Shawna Pagano, who oversees training and education and human trafficking initiatives with Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center in Charlotte, said child sexual abuse is more common than people realize.
“Conservative numbers estimate that one in 10 children will be sexually abused by the time they reach 18,” Pagano said. “And generally, victims of child sexual abuse don’t tell anyone immediately about the abuse.”
Pagano said the delay to tell someone what has happened is more prevalent with male victims who may feel embarrassed, ashamed, and link the abuse to their masculinity.
Both Pagano and James suggested teaching body safety to children. This could include teaching children the proper names of body parts and encouraging them to tell an adult if they are touched inappropriately.
Police believe there are “potentially many more victims,” and are encouraging individuals who have been abused to come forward.
Individuals who may have been abused by Goff, or anyone with information about the cases, can contact James via email at Misty.James@cmpd.org or by phone at 704-432-3905.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 3:14 PM.
