Former OU professor will stand trial on child sex abuse charges

Editor's note: After this story was published, a Cleveland County jury found Dwain Pellebon not guilty of the charges against him. In 2014, the presiding judge granted a full expungement of the charges and arrest.

NORMAN — A former University of Oklahoma professor accused of sexually abusing several young girls over a period of years will stand trial, a Cleveland County judge ruled Friday.

Dwain Pellebon, who had been facing first-degree rape charges, will stand trial on four counts of sexual abuse of a child and six counts of lewd acts with a child.

Several young girls testified Friday about their interactions with Pellebon, 55, including a mentally disabled 16-year-old who told the court how the defendant took her to his bedroom and removed her clothes.

“He started touching me … where he's not supposed to,” the girl said.

The alleged abuse of the girls who testified began in 2009, prosecutors say, although the former professor was investigated more than a decade ago amid similar allegations.

The 16-year-old told the court that Pellebon urged her not to “tell my mom.”

“I only said, ‘OK,'” the girl said. She did not say he raped her.

Most of the alleged abuse happened at Pellebon's home in Norman, although some of the girls say they were inappropriately touched at a movie theater.

Another witness, who is now 21, testified that the defendant would watch her use a “massage chair” that caused her breasts to shake.

“He would just watch us … our breasts,” the woman said. “I felt very uncomfortable.”

The woman said Pellebon had also given her about 15 massages over the years, which involved him undoing her bra while he rubbed her back.

She said the defendant also kept a massage chair in a den-like room in his residence.

The same witness also testified that Pellebon would do other “weird” things, including spying on her and her sister when they were most vulnerable.

“He was just in the room watching us sleep,” the woman said. “Kind of creeped me out.”

The woman said Pellebon also used her younger sister as a “model.”

“He had a big painting in his office of her,” she said. “She was 11 or 12.”

Other witnesses described similar run-ins with the former social work professor, often involving hugs — from behind — and kisses on the forehead.

One girl, who is only 9, told the court that Pellebon would often play games with her when the older girls were elsewhere. During the games, the defendant would be “the monster,” frequently “fake attacking” her and pretending to bite her.

The young girl said the former professor was kind to her and that she was “surprised” when the sex abuse allegations surfaced following his December arrest.

Prosecutors said it was a prime example of how Pellebon would “groom” his victims.

“My dad told me that he was just wanted to gain my trust,” the girl said toward the end of her testimony.

The 21-year-old woman also noted Pellebon's kindness, at times, describing how after she was injured in a car accident years ago, he brought her an autographed photo of OU women's basketball coach Sherri Coale.

Pellebon posted bail shortly after his arrest in December and is expected to be arraigned by district judge in the coming weeks. He doesn't have a prior arrest record, although he was investigated by the state Department of Human Services in 2001 over allegations of abuse involving the daughter of a former Norman police officer.

Court records show that charges weren't filed because the alleged victim wouldn't cooperate with investigators.

Pellebon resigned his position at OU shortly after his arrest. It was revealed in court that he no longer lives at his home, where his wife and stepson now reside.

The defendant has denied the allegations leveled against him since his arrest.

Pellebon has described himself to investigators as an “affectionate, sensual man who liked to hug, kiss, cuddle and stroke young girls that he felt close to,” according to court documents.

The ex-professor, free on $75,000 bail, told police during an interview at his house that he'd viewed child pornography “one time” but that he'd never downloaded any.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Former OU professor will stand trial on child sex abuse charges