LA PLATA, Md. - Following an investigation by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s Special Victims Unit, a 63-year-old Lanham man has been indicted with 95 counts of child sex abuse and other crimes.
The Sheriff’s Office began its investigation in October after learning that the accused, Karl Warren Hickerson, who operated a charter fishing service, was sexually abusing young boys who worked on his boat. Detectives received the first report about the abuse on Oct. 5 and obtained an arrest warrant on Oct. 6, charging Hickerson with sexually abusing a minor, fourth-degree sex offense, second-degree assault and other crimes.
The Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office arrested Hickerson at his residence on Oct. 7 at 1:30 a.m. and released him to a Charles County Sheriff’s officer, who served the warrant and transported Hickerson to the Charles County Detention Center. He was subsequently released on a $75,000 bond.
Detectives later learned of two more victims and obtained a second warrant for additional sex abuse charges on Oct. 8. A Charles County Sheriff’s officer served the warrant on Oct. 11. Hickerson was transported to the Charles County Detention Center and has been held their since.
The Sheriff’s Office notified the public of the arrests through several media sources and spoke with other children who worked for Hickerson on the boat. Additional victims came forward. Through the investigation, detectives determined Hickerson sexually abused eight children on the boat and in a trailer he owned nearby, where the children who worked for him would sometimes spend the night. On Jan. 12, Hickerson was indicted on the 95 counts of child sex abuse, perverted sex practice and other related crimes.
He is being held at the Charles County Detention Center on a $1 million bond.