Man may have sexually abused children for decades, Rockwall police say

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Man believed to have sexually abused children for decades, Rockwall police say

Rockwall Police identified several people believed to have been victimized by William Bynum dating back to the 1980s. They are asking other victims to come forward.

Rockwall police are looking for other victims of a man investigators believe may have sexually abused children for decades.

Police arrested 64-year-old William Bynum for aggravated sexual assault of a child earlier this year in Rockwall.

William Bynum (Source: Rockwall Police)

Police say as they were investigating they discovered information indicating that Bynum may have abused children before.

"This case, in Rockwall, is probably one of the larger ones related any sort of habitual or serial offender that we have really run across,"  said Rockwall Police Lieutentant Aaron McGrew.

Rockwall Police identified several people believed to have been victimized by Bynum dating back to the 1980s.

"The ages of the victims really vary from all the way from very, very young all the to mid-teenage late-teenage years," said McGrew.

The 64-year-old is currently in the Rockwall County Jail on six counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, three counts of indecency with a child and two counts of display of harmful material to a minor.

He is being held on $1,125,000 bond.

"Most of these victims were just inside his normal day-to-day life,"  said McGrew. 

That life was in Unit 144 in an industrial warehouse-like storage facility, where investigators say Bynum violated trust.

"Complete shock to tell you the truth," said Brian Lane, whose handyman business is in the unit next to Bynum's.

Many lights and cameras are located outside the unit where police say something dark happened inside.

"I've never known anyone like that. I would have always thought that you would see something, there was nothing there," said Lane.

Bynum lived in several cities through the years, including Quinlan, Texas, Channelview, Texas, Birmingham, Ala., and Lawton, Okla.

"There very well may have been offenses that occurred as far back as the mid to early 80s," said Lt. McGrew. "We just want to make sure that we're reaching out to anybody who may have lived in any of those places to be able to reach out to them and kind of get an understanding of what they went through."

Jennifer Hoskins, the Director of Clinical Services at the Children's Advocacy Center for Rockwall County says they are there to help any victims.

"With sexual abuse often comes shame," she said. "You need to work through with somebody that can help explain why it's not your fault, how the manipulation happened and just kind of all the ins and outs of the dynamics of sexual abuse."

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Rockwall police ask anyone with information about sexual cases involving Bynum to call 972-771-7721.