Whiteville Stepfather, Mother Held Without Bond in Child Sex Abuse Case

A Whiteville couple is being held without bond after warrants accused the stepfather of sexually abusing his wife's nine-year-old daughter, with the mother charged for allegedly allowing the abuse to happen. Zackery Lynn Pratt, 30, and Brittany Pratt, 31, both face felony child abuse charges involving a sexual act, according to court documents listing the Whiteville area as their address.

According to warrants cited by Columbus County News, Zackery Pratt allegedly performed oral sex on the girl and also forced her to perform oral sex on him. The outlet, which first reported the case, says the alleged incident occurred in June. Brittany Pratt, the girl's mother, is accused of allowing her husband to abuse the child, warrants state.

Zackery Pratt was charged with molesting a nine-year-old girl, per the warrants, while Brittany Pratt was charged with allowing her husband to abuse the child. Both were charged with felony child abuse involving a sexual act, and both are currently being held without bond. The report notes that Columbus County News reached out to the Columbus County Sheriff's Office for more information on the case.

Why the Couple Is Being Held Without Bond

The Columbus County Sheriff's Office investigated the case, and county law enforcement operations fall under Sheriff W. A. “Bill” Rogers, according to Ballotpedia. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-318.4(a2), it is a Class D felony for a parent or legal guardian of a child under 16 to commit a sexual act upon the child or to allow another person to do so, per Jetton & Meredith, PLLC. That statute applies to both an alleged active perpetrator and a guardian accused of permitting the abuse, holding them criminally accountable under the same felony classification.

Neither the sheriff's office nor a magistrate had the authority to set routine bail in this case. North Carolina's Pretrial Integrity Act, which took effect October 1, 2023, restricts magistrates from setting bail in high-level felonies and severe offenses, instead requiring a District or Superior Court judge to determine pretrial release conditions, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. That law explains why the Pratts were booked with no bond set rather than facing standard bail terms.

Potential Penalties and Local Investigative Resources

A Class D felony conviction in North Carolina carries a standard prison sentence range of 38 to 160 months, or roughly three to 13 years, depending on a defendant's prior criminal record level, with active incarceration typically required, the Sparrow Law Firm notes. Convictions involving sexual acts against children also carry mandatory post-release supervision extending up to five years for offenses requiring sex offender registration, per the North Carolina Criminal Law Blog.

Child abuse and sexual offense investigations involving minors in Columbus County are routinely coordinated through Carolyn's Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center in Lake Waccamaw, an accredited program operated by Boys & Girls Homes of North Carolina that provides forensic interviews and medical evaluations for victims ages 3 to 17. The center offers specialized, child-friendly resources in cases like this one, though it has not been confirmed whether it was used in this specific investigation. Meanwhile, the Columbus County Department of Social Services in Whiteville operates Child Protective Services to assess child safety and manage protective custody determinations countywide.

Part of a Pattern of Recent Cases in Columbus County

This case adds to a string of recent child abuse prosecutions in the county. Hoodline previously reported on a Lake Waccamaw RV park resident held without bond in a separate child sex case, and on a Riegelwood father accused of leaving his seven-year-old son bruised. In February, the Columbus County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crimes Against Children Unit executed a search warrant in Nakina, arresting a resident on ten felony counts of minor sexual exploitation.

North Carolina law requires any adult who has cause to suspect a child is abused, neglected, or the victim of a sexual offense to report it to county DSS or law enforcement, with knowing failure to report classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Statewide, local departments of social services conduct thousands of child abuse and neglect assessments each year to determine whether protective intervention is needed, according to data from NC Child. It remains unclear when the Pratts will next appear in court or whether protective custody arrangements have been made for the girl.