Former OU professor pleads innocent of sex abuse crimes

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Dwain Pellebon.

A former OU professor accused of sexually abusing several young girls pled innocent Friday at the Cleveland County Courthouse.

Dwain Pellebon, 55, who will stand trial on three counts of child sexual abuse and six counts of lewd acts with a child, appeared before district judge Tracy Schumacher at his arraignment Friday.

The acts Pellebon is charged with occurred between 2005 and 2010, according to court documents.

Pellebon’s attorney, David Smith, told Schumacher that his client would not accept a plea offer from the prosecutor. Schumacher ordered Pellebon to reappear for a status conference to determine trial date availability and the status of discovery and motion hearings. The status conference is set for 11:30 a.m. Oct. 26.

Pellebon, a former School of Social Work professor, was arrested Dec. 9 after a child welfare worker reported a teenage girl claimed she saw Pellebon molest a 13-year-old girl during a sleepover at his home in Norman.

Pellebon was released on $75,000 bail Dec. 19 with the provision that he would not have any contact with minors, according to court documents. Pellebon resigned from his position at OU on Dec. 20.

Several young girls testified June 22 about their interactions with Pellebon, including a 9-year-old, a mentally disabled 16-year-old, and a woman who is now 21. Most of the alleged abuse happened at Pellebon’s home in Norman, according to the witnesses.

Pellebon doesn’t have a prior arrest record, but he was investigated by the state Department of Human Services in 2001 under similar allegations involving the daughter of a former Norman police officer.

Court records show that no charges were filed because the alleged victim failed to give investigators a statement.

Tory Smith

Tory is a former staff member of The Oklahoma Daily who worked as Campus Reporter.