Some clients want tattoos removed now that artist faces child sex charges
By Lisa Crane
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CULLMAN COUNTY, Alabama (WVTM) — Some Cullman County residents are outraged after finding out the man who inked their bodies now faces child sex charges.
Jesse Conn is charged with two counts of sodomy involving minor children. Now, some of his former clients want to do something about the ink he tattooed on them.
Cullman’s Summer Ashley is proud of her tattoos. She said they’re all very personal, and the permanent art creates a lifelong connection with the artist. After Conn was charged with sexually abusing a child, Ashley posted on social media that she wanted to cover the tattoo she got from him.
Many others chimed in with the same feelings.
Ashley said, “You trusted this person, the same hands that touched your body and put permanent marks on your body are the same hands that allegedly did incomprehensible things to children.”
Bre Farr is an artist at Silhouette Studios in Cullman. She said she gets it.
“It’s permanently, like I said, like in your skin for the rest of your life. And if you have a bad experience with somebody, you just don’t want that on your body anymore,” Farr said.
Robby Sadler works at The Hive Tattoo Collective in Hartselle. He’s offered to help anyone tattooed by Conn.
He said, “We decided just to offer a very heavily discounted reworks, cover-ups on the work. So that way you kind of get rid of that stigma.”
Ashley and several others said they’ll take him up on the generous offer. She added, “He really didn’t skip a beat. I thought that it was great that immediately he reached out and he said, ‘If you want this covered, I’ll do that.'”
Ashley realizes Conn has not been convicted in this case, and he is presumed innocent, but she said she just doesn’t want to be reminded of these horrific allegations every time she looks at one of her tattoos.
Conn’s trial is scheduled for March.
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