Sexual abuse charges mount against ex-trucker

The Trucker News Services

4/24/2008

ANTIOCH, Calif. — Former truck driver Dean Hale, 45, has been arrested for allegedly molesting at least three girls over a 12-year period and police believe there could be more victims in other states.

Hale has been charged with 21 felony counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14 and having sexual intercourse or sodomy with a child 10 years old or younger. He also faces enhancements for having allegedly abused multiple victims, according to the Contra Costa County District Attorney's office.

"Unfortunately, he falls into the typical pedophile profile," said Antioch Police Sgt. Diane Aguinaga said. "He gets together with single women with children."

Two of the known victims are now in their 20s and are the daughters of Hale's wife from a previous relationship. They were 8 and 10 years old when Hale allegedly began abusing them, police reported.

The third victim, who is now 10 years old, is a relative of Hale's, Aguinaga said.

Hale had allegedly been abusing her since she was 5 years old and had taken her at least once across state lines on his trucking route during her summer vacations, Aguinaga said.

Hale was in the process of divorcing his wife and trying to gain custody of his daughter when, afraid that he would win the custody hearing, his wife's daughters came forward, prompting the investigation, Aguinaga said.

Hale was arrested April 14 when he returned from Utah, where he had been living, to attend the custody hearing, Aguinaga said.

He subsequently admitted to the alleged crimes in a videotaped confession, Aguinaga said.

He is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility on $2.5 million bail and is scheduled to return to court to be assigned an attorney and enter a plea April 30.