Steven Brian Higginbotham
A Rossville man was convicted for the rape and molestation of three minor children by a Walker County jury following a three-day trial before Judge Brian House ending on Dec. 1. Steven Brian Higginbotham, 48, was convicted of 20 total counts including multiple counts of rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual battery, incest, and child molestation stemming from years of sexual abuse.
The allegations came to light in 2019 after one of the children disclosed to a friend on her softball team. Forensic interviews were set up at the Children’s Advocacy Center for all three children, and they disclosed a variety of sexual acts they were forced to perform by Higginbotham. Walker County Sheriff’s Department Detective Billy Davis investigated the case and executed a search warrant at Higginbotham’s residence in Rossville. The search of Higginbotham’s residence yielded a sex toy that precisely matched a hand-drawn image created by one of the children depicting a device that was used to sexually assault them.
When confronted by police, Higginbotham vomited profusely before being taken into custody.
The case was presented by Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh. The three minor victims had been afraid to come forward in the years prior to their disclosures because they had been physically threatened by Higginbotham. At trial, the children finally got the chance to face their abuser. They gave graphic testimony detailing the acts perpetrated by Higginbotham over the course of several years. The children were accompanied to the courtroom by members of B.A.C.A. - Bikers Against Child Abuse, a charitable worldwide motorcycle association built from biker community members. During closing arguments, Mr. Baugh, asking for justice for the three brave victims, argued to the jury that the victims were not fearful telling their story in front of a group of strangers because they were finally free from their abuser. Higginbotham was sentenced on December 14 2021 to serve the remainder of his life in prison.
District Attorney Chris Arnt praised CADA Baugh and the team that worked on the case. “Our country has an under-incarceration problem when it comes to dangerous sex predators. I am proud to say that we make it an absolute priority in this office to aggressively prosecute child molesters and all sex offenders.” DA Arnt also praised the efforts of the Walker County Sheriff’s Department and the Children’s Advocacy center for their work on the case. “It takes a team approach to investigate and prepare these cases for court,” said DA Arnt. “We are blessed with an excellent and dedicated group of professionals that truly take these cases to heart and do the utmost to seek justice for abused children.”
The foster mother of some of the girls said, "The years of abuse suffered by three young girls at the hand of Steven Higginbotham have finally come to a close. With the guilty verdict from the jury we can close the door on fear and focus on growing and healing. The most important outcome of the guilty verdict is that Steven Higginbotham cannot hurt any other children in the future."