Keeping Secrets

Two women say a Fells Point barkeep raped them for years. The judge sent him back to his bar.

By Edward Ericson Jr. (Baltimore City Paper, 3/14/2012)

Sexton’s JHJ Saloon, aka JH’s (photo by Frank Klein)

Shortly after dark on Dec. 9, 2011, a man slumps against the brick wall just outside the door at JHJ Saloon on the corner of South Castle Street and Eastern Avenue on the eastern edge of Fells Point. Sporting a scraggly brown beard and a marble-sized growth above his left eye, he looks up at a visitor pulling the door handle. “You’re walking into the mausoleum,” he says.

Inside, it’s Christmastime. A brace of older white folks take up the barstools while two or three people dance near the bar in the back of the room to Brenda Lee’s twangy hit “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.” One dancing blond woman smiles and sings along. She is the owners’ daughter.

Behind the bar, an elderly blond woman informs the visitor that there are no taps and no bottled beer in this establishment. There are only cans of Bud, Bud Light.

Judge Judy is on the TV in front, the volume loud enough so you can hear her stern moralizing above the Brenda Lee tune blaring in the back. People need to take responsibility for their actions, the TV judge states.

Finishing his Bud, the visitor asks where he can find the bar’s owner, who goes by Lester. “Who wants to know?” the barkeep snaps.

City Paper wants to know.

“Well, I’m his wife.”

Whispering as discreetly as possible, the visitor tells the barkeep he wants to discuss Lester’s court cases. “Who told you?” she demands, loud enough to be heard over Judge Judy and Brenda Lee. “Man or woman?”

The woman insists that Lester is not here, fixing a cold stare on the intruding reporter as he leaves.

Outside, the man with the growth near his eye is at the bus stop across the street. “He’s upstairs,” he says of Lester.

According to records in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, two women say that Lester raped them for years, beginning when both were children. Douglas Lester Sexton was “committed” to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on July 19, 2011. On Nov. 11, 2011, he was found incompetent to stand trial for 22 separate charges of second-degree assault and child abuse by a custodian.

Continue reading “Keeping Secrets” at Baltimore City Paper.

This entry was posted in Baltimorons, Beer, Booze, Fells Point, Sex Crimes, Vices and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Keeping Secrets

  1. Joed9333 says:

    Lester is not a pedefile he is a pervert meaning pedis hurt very young Children and lester liked teenage girls still not ok but its like calling a bank robber a human trafficer I am a victim of sodomy from a pedi professor llyod emery did that to me Lester was the one who saved me from him Lester never touched me or Danelle and most the girls that were around were on drugs and alcohol I’m not defending him because he ruined my moms life and and mine I told him to admit what he is or be what the public desides for him I have nothing to gain and everything to lose I am his grandson and nobody knows me as of now but my mom has suffered enough and with him in the public eye it’s gonna take her life dannelle is not lesters and dam sure is knot my mothers daughter the devil is real and god will exploit everyone’s sins I hope me coming forward and telling the true facts about him will give my mom peace and allow the public to see him for what he is I am half black and white he took me from my mom very young to protect me so he says but it was to protect his secret with my mom I was always caught in the middle he was good to me until my mom told me what he did to her and everyone on west side knows she even told the south Baltimore police she was 14 what he did and Lester said she wants to run with that nigger boy my father and they bought it so she has lost hope and feels no one will believe her like I said America I have everything to Lose and nothing to gain please understand people do things in life that destroy others and if someone touched my child I’d end them he deserves what he gets however if he continues to deny and not take responsibility for his mistakes then he will surely get what he deserves in short LESTER is evil and sorry for things he did and I want my mother to suffer no more so there it is LESTER is a pervert who seduced young teens from broken homes and poverty and his daughter lived just like that because of what he did to her and she’s a good woman pray for us and understand that the truth will set us free and to hell with the racist 1970s southern district for not taking care of him then when she came out

  2. Joed9333 says:

    Officer Jenkins was the cop she told and it was a white mans world back then and they believed LESTER and not a 14 year old rape victim his money and power ruined her life and saved mine professor emery was a doctor living on Pratt st praying on foster children and put me threw hell and Lester was paid enough to scare him away and that was the only thing confusing me how could a man destroy his own daughter and turn around and protect his grandson from similar scum I am totally sane and god has givin me the words and strength to speak the truth

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