WASHINGTON - A 47-year-old man from Washington, D.C. has pled guilty to sexually abusing his stepdaughter on two occasions, sending letters and making phone calls to her and her mother in violation of court orders not to do so, unlawfully entering the family’s house after being ordered to stay away, and assaulting a police officer who had come to assist the family in the unlawful entry, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
The defendant, who is not named here to protect the privacy of the victim, entered the guilty plea June 20, 2013, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He pled guilty to charges of first-degree child sexual abuse, attempted first-degree child sexual abuse, violating a civil protection order, criminal contempt, unlawful entry, and felony assault on a police officer. The Honorable Patricia A. Broderick scheduled sentencing for Aug. 16, 2013. Following completion of his prison sentence, the defendant must register for 10 years as a sex offender.
The defendant is the ex-husband of the girl’s mother. At the plea hearing, he admitted that in the spring of 2012, when the victim was 14, he sexually abused the girl at their home in the District of Columbia. As a result of the sexual abuse, the victim became pregnant. The defendant told the victim to say that the baby’s father was a boy from school. Early this year, the victim revealed to her mother that the baby’s father was the defendant. The baby was born a few months ago. The victim further disclosed to law enforcement that the defendant had sexually abused her over a period of time beginning in at least 2010.
Early this year, the victim’s mother filed for and was granted a civil protection order from the defendant. On or about Feb. 5, 2013, he sent the victim’s mother a text message indicating that he knew who she was with. Alarmed that the defendant was nearby and watching her, the victim’s mother contacted the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Officers met her outside her house and went inside to make sure the defendant was not there. Two uniformed officers went into the basement. The defendant jumped out from beneath the stairway, brandished a knife, and stabbed one of the officers in the torso, cutting through his shirt and bullet-resistant vest. The defendant was placed under arrest. He later violated court orders by mailing a hand-written letter to the victim’s mother and calling the victim numerous times.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen acknowledged the work of the MPD, especially the detectives who led the investigation of the case. U.S. Attorney Machen also praised the work of Victim/Witness Advocates Shawn Slade and Veronica Vaughn, as well as Paralegal Specialist Jason Manuel. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy H. Zubrensky and Jeff T. Cook, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
