Joseph Carter Convicted Of Child Abuse

From The Patch

DAVIDSONVILLE, MD — A 33-year-old Davidsonville man has been convicted by a jury of sexual abuse of a three-year-old child who is related by marriage. Five counts in total include second degree rape and lesser charges. Joseph Earl Carter will face a potential maximum penalty of 45 years and a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years due to his status as a repeat, violent offender for a previous child sexual assault conviction.

Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess spoke about the case after the conviction.

"It's truly unconscionable for any person to violate a child moreover for that person to be a family member the child trusted," Leitess said in a statement. "We will seek the maximum penalty for Mr. Carter's crimes in the hope that we can protect the community as a whole as well as the victim and her family. This case reminds us that as parents we can and should talk with our children from a very young age and reinforce their knowledge that no one is allowed to touch them and that they should come forward and tell a trusted adult if that happens."

Anne Arundel County police were alerted to an incident involving the three-year-old victim when she was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center Aug. 16, 2018, for a report of child sexual abuse. The three-year-old reported that her "Uncle Earl" had "committed sexually abusive acts against her. The child retold the incident to a specially trained forensic interviewer at the Child Advocacy Center during a videotaped statement.

According to the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Carter volunteered to watch the little girl while his wife, the three-year-old's aunt, napped. Carter told police he was never alone with the child, but his wife told officers that he was alone with her while she slept. 

During the three-day trial, the victim, now four years old, took the witness stand and was qualified to testify in court. Under Maryland Law, the child's forensic interview could be introduced as substantive evidence at trial under the so-called "Tender Years" statute. The jury had the opportunity to see and hear the child recount to a specially trained social worker the details of her abuse. The jury also heard testimony from the emergency room physician who treated the child, the lead detective who investigated the case and family members who described the behavioral and emotional changes in the child after the sexual abuse.