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RIPLEY -- A man was arrested in Ripley Wednesday after years of child sexual assault on his children and other juveniles in an apartment complex, according to a criminal complaint filed with the Jackson County Magistrate Court.
Dustin Scott Hypes, 34, of Ripley was charged with sexual abuse in the first degree, according to the complaint.
According to Deputy Ross Mellinger, law enforcement became aware of the situation April 27 after one of the victims came forward.
"The primary victim in the case finally met their breaking point and contacted a neighbor and it really developed from there," Mellinger said. "I don't know that we've ever seen one that was so complex and so far-reaching as this one. It was really kind of a community service for child sexual misconduct."
According to the complaint, an 11-year-old victim said she had been sexually assaulted by her father, Hypes, since she was 6-years old.
After a few years of molestation, it led to intercourse while she was around the age of 8, with the intercourse ongoing and occurring as recent as three weeks prior, the complaint said.
During the acts of intercourse, the victim said Hypes photographed the incident and kept the photos on his cell phone, the complaint said.
"Nothing was really off limits for the one suspect. He openly discussed with his wife (saying) their sex life couldn't flourish unless his own children were watching him perform," Mellinger said.
The victim said Hypes also attempted to assault her 14-year-old sister, the complaint said.
After the testimony from the victim, interviews were conducted of Hypes and the victim's mother. Hypes was asked to find a different place of residence while the investigation was ongoing, the complaint said.
The 14-year-old reported Hypes would look in on her while she was in the shower and she would sometimes find her father staying over her bed and performing sexual acts on himself, the complaint said.
"These are the reasons kids have nightmares, this is why they develop stories of monsters living under the bed," Mellinger said.
When the 11-year-old victim was interviewed again, she said she was tired of the abuse and wanted it to stop and to make sure Hypes didn't hurt anybody else which was the reason she came forward, the complaint said.
While the victim said she was happy her father was gone and couldn't do those horrible things to her anymore, she was because she no longer has a dad, the complaint said.
She also stated she witnessed her father sexually assault a 3-year-old, a family friend, the complaint said.
She went into detail on some of the incidents with some of them happening while she was home sick because she and Hypes were in the home alone, the complaint said.
Hypes would also require the victim to pose nude for photos, the complaint said.
According to the complaint, Hypes' phone was searched and 3,841 files were found containing photos and videos, a majority of which were of a pornographic nature involving young girls.
Two other young females came forward and said Hypes attempted to engage them in sexual favors in exchange for marijuana or alcohol, the complaint said.
Along with the two girls, a 15-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy also lived in the residence, the complaint said.
"The kids have been removed from the home. We do anticipate many further charges coming with the possibility of adding some additional people to the indictment list," Mellinger said.
The mother was interviewed and said she didn't know her daughters were being assaulted but she said she was not shocked to hear of the allegations after knowing Hypes for 15 years, the complaint said.
With this type of complex, complicated and horrific incident, Mellinger said adults should take something away from this story.
"The biggest thing we can take from this is taking a proactive approach and looking for signs. This is more prevalent than what we would like to admit in our society and as the responsible adults in the community, I think we need to take a proactive approach in trying to identify kids who could possibly have these types of demons hiding in their closet," Mellinger said.
Some of those signs include the change in behavior or hygiene habits, he said.
"I think it's up to us as the responsible adults to try to identify that and reach out to help when they need it," Mellinger said.
Hypes is being held at the South Central Regional Jail on a surety $250,000 bond, according to the Central Regional Jail website.
Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.