Allegations against Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore continued to mount after several more people said they were aware of Moore’s alleged penchant for young girls.
‘It was a known fact: Roy Moore liked young girls’ Faye Gary, a retired Gadsden police officer alleged to the New York Times, adding ‘It was treated like a joke. That’s just the way it was.’
Others in his community had similar observations about Moore, saying his alleged penchant for young girls was well known.
Senate candidate Roy Moore is facing more accusations about inappropriate behavior with young girls in his Alabama community
Glenn Day, who managed two stores at the mall at the time, said security had asked him to let them know if Moore was at the mall.
‘I can’t believe there’s such an outcry now about something everybody knew,’ Day said.
Janet Reeves who worked at the local mall Moore would frequent says he asked her friend, who was 17 or 18 at the time, for her number.
‘I just thought he was the creepy old guy,’ Reeves told the Times.
Moore has faced a slew of allegations against him, but is refusing to drop out of the senate race
Several local residents said they knew about Moore approaching teenage girls. They said that he was often working out at the local YMCA, shirtless, chatting up high school aged girls.
Delores Abney who frequented the YMCA said that Moore would talk to girls that ‘appeared to be high school on up’ in her exercise class, adding that ‘it just did not look appropriate.’
However not everyone in his community echoed the same sentiments. Terry White, a former Gadsden police officer who worked security at the mall, said, ‘Nobody, as far as I know, ever complained.’
Numerous local residents have come forward with stories about Moore approaching teenage girls during his time as assistant district attorney in Etowah County, Alabama.
The Washington Post first reported earlier this month that a woman said Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her in 1979, when she was 14 years old and he was 32.
Moore, with wife Kayla Moore, has refused to step down from the senate race after several allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault surfaced during his 30’s
Since last week, Moore has been engulfed by accusations of sexual misconduct toward women in their teens when he was a deputy district attorney in his 30s. Several of his accusers have allowed their identities to be made public.
One said Moore molested her when she was 14. Another said Moore assaulted her when she was a 16-year-old waitress after he offered to drive her home.
Five others said Moore pursued romantic relationships with them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18.
Meanwhile his wife Kayla Moore said during a press conference Friday that she is standing by her man. ‘He will not step down. He will not stop fighting for the people of Alabama,’ said Kayla Moore, who did not take questions.
Moore has denied the allegations and is refusing to drop out of the Alabama Senate special election.