Sycamore Brewing drops co-owner after accused child rape case as more charges mount

CHARLOTTE — Sycamore Brewing has officially removed co-owner Justin Brigham, 44, from state business records following his arrest on child sex crime charges, as bars and grocery stores across the Charlotte area cut ties with the brewery.

Brigham is accused of raping a 13-year-old girl inside her Stanfield home on Dec. 10.

The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office said Brigham and the victim communicated on Snapchat and through texts.

Brigham is in the Stanly County Jail under a $10 million bond.

Additional charges

Several other charges were announced on Monday involving the same incident.

Brigham also faces three counts of statutory sex offense of a child under 15, one count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, and one count of soliciting a child by a computer.

There is also a charge of assault causing bodily damage, which did not involve the victim.

Taproom’s departure

Charlotte airport officials said they will remove Sycamore’s taproom from the terminal.

A spokesperson for the airport says Sycamore’s location in Concourse E will change.

The airport says it will remain open to passengers during the transition while details are finalized.

‘Take a stand’

One bar in Monroe is using the last of its Sycamore beer sales to help survivors.

Beth Tourtellot bought dozens of Sycamore beers about a week ago to sell at her bar, the Peddlers Paradise Bartique. It is her final purchase from the brewery.

“Being a sexual assault victim myself, I really felt for the child,” Tourtellot said.

Rather than just pour out or throw away all the beer, she is letting people buy it for whatever they want to pay. All the proceeds from it are going to Turning Point, a nonprofit which supports sexual assault survivors in Union County.

“I think it is really important for women and children to have somewhere that they feel safe, because I have been in those situations and a lot of times you feel stuck and you feel like you can’t get out,” Tourtellot said.

Her bar is one of many that has severed ties with arguably Charlotte’s most popular brewery. Grocery stores, including Food Lion, Lowe’s, Publix and Whole Foods also have pulled the beer from their shelves.

Over the weekend, Sycamore shared a new statement saying: “We are heartbroken for the victim. No person should have to endure what she did. These are unforgiveable actions.”

The statement also says, “Sycamore will not assist in Justin’s defense. We trust that the legal system will hold Justin fully accountable.”

Tourtellot said she appreciates the statement but now it is hard to separate the egregiousness of the charges from the brand. She hopes Sycamore will rebrand and rebuild

“The employees of Sycamore, the wife, the child and, definitely, my heart goes out to them, too,” she said. “They have nothing to do with this, but I feel like I needed to take a stand, and I choose to stand with the child, and I always will.”

The Stanly County Sheriff’s Office said more charges are possible. They seized his electronic devices last week and are currently going through them.

VIDEO: More charges possible for Sycamore Brewing co-owner accused of raping 13-year-old

More charges possible for Sycamore Brewing co-owner accused of raping 13-year-old