Police: Fort Worth executive accused of sexually assaulting child confessed to others
A Fort Worth oil executive arrested Wednesday on accusations that he sexually abused a child, starting when the girl was 15, confessed to relatives and employees of his family’s oil company, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Charles “Chuck” Seely Jr., vice president of the Seely Oil Company, cried and apologized repeatedly as he admitted to the inappropriate sexual relationship to three company employees in recent weeks, according to the affidavit.
Seely, 49, surrendered Wednesday morning on three warrants issued in the case and was released from the Tarrant County Jail on bond Wednesday evening.
He is accused of indecency with a child by sexual contact, prohibited sexual conduct and sexual assault of a child/soliciting a minor. Neither Seely nor his attorney immediately returned a message seeking comment.
Seely’s attorney, Trent Loftin, said Thursday in an email that “Mr. Seely is fully cooperating with law enforcement.”
The alleged victim, now an adult, reported the sexual abuse to Fort Worth police on Nov. 26. She said the abuse began in early 2012.
According to arrest warrant affidavits written by Detective D.P. Jwanowski of the crimes against children unit, the woman alleged that Seely began grooming her the week she turned 15.
In a forensic interview, the woman said the contact began as touching made to appear as accidental but later escalated to sexual intercourse while she was still 15.
She said the sexual abuse went on for about five years at places including hotels, in a vehicle and even at a Christian camp, according to the affidavit.
She told officials that on at least a couple of occasions, Seely made visual recordings of their sexual contact.
Jwanowski interviewed Seely’s father, the owner of the oil company, and three of the company’s employees, who all said that Seely had acknowledged inappropriate sexual relations with the victim.
The employees told the detective that Seely had called a meeting with the three of them in which he acknowledged that the allegations were true, that he was going to get help, and that he would understand if the employees chose not to stay with the company, according to the warrant.
Another relative told police that Seely told him that he had “messed up,” that he felt horrible and was probably going to jail.
A friend of Seely’s told the detective that the executive had also called him after the allegation came out.
The friend, according to the affidavit, said that while Seely did not go into detail, he did say “that he would not call the victim a liar, that he was glad that it was out, and that he knew that there would be ramifications for his sin.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2018 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Police: Fort Worth executive accused of sexually assaulting child confessed to others."
