Pelham child solicitation suspect dies

Published 2:14 pm Wednesday, December 18, 2013

By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A 44-year-old suspect in a 2013 Pelham child solicitation case died a few days after his bond was revoked in November, according to court records.

Burt

Burt

“This office recently received notice from the Pelham Police Department that Samuel Burt II died on or about Nov. 12, 2013,” read a motion filed in Shelby County District Court on Nov. 18 to dismiss Burt’s charges.

Burt’s cause of death was not listed in court documents.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office arrested Burt, a Pelham resident, on March 16 and charged him with one felony count of electronic solicitation of a child. According to Burt’s arrest warrant, he allegedly engaged in a “sexually explicit conversation” with a child and admitted to kissing the child between Jan. 6-13, 2013.

Burt posted a $10,000 bond the same day he was arrested, and was out on bond when he died.

On Nov. 6, prosecutors submitted a motion to revoke Burt’s bond when he allegedly “initiated contact with the alleged victim through Facebook,” according to the motion.

“In the correspondence, he references the charges pending against him and asks the alleged victim to call him and provides a phone number,” read the motion. “Defendant has violated the conditions of his release by initiating contact and communicating with the victim.”

District Court Judge Dan Reeves ordered Burt’s bond to be revoked the same day the prosecution’s motion was filed.

An arrest warrant was issued for Burt on Nov. 12, but court records did not list an arrest date before Burt’s death.