Not-Guilty Plea in Judge's Sex Abuse Case

Sept. 3, 2008— -- A federal judge under indictment for sex abuse pleaded "absolutely and unequivocally not guilty" to the charges at an arraignment at the federal courthouse in Houston today.

A grand jury indicted Judge Samuel Kent last week on two counts of abusive sexual contact and one count of attempted aggravated sexual abuse.

The charges stem from allegations by a court employee who worked for Kent at the federal court house in Galveston, Tex. That employee, Cathy McBroom, is not named in the indictment, but filed a complaint against Kent in May 2007 and has spoken through her lawyer about the matter.

In court Wednesday, when the judge asked Kent if he understood his rights to a trial by jury and to call his own witnesses, he replied, "I do and for the record, I absolutely am going to testify and am going to bring a horde of witnesses."

According to the indictment, Kent attempted to force his employee's head towards his groin area during an incident in March 2007, and inappropriately touched her without her permission "with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade" during the alleged March 2007 incident and another alleged incident in August 2003.

At his arraignment, Kent called the charges "flagrant and scurrilous." He is the first federal judge indicted for sex crimes, and the only federal judge indicted since 1991, according to the Associated Press.