LA PLATA, Md. (April 05, 2018)—Tony Covington, State's Attorney for Charles County announced that on Thursday, April 5, 2018, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced former District Heights Police Officer Clyde Douglas Parks, Jr., 48 of Waldorf, to 11 years in prison for the Sexual Abuse of a Minor.
On May 24, 2017, the Charles County Department of Social Services received a mandatory report of child sexual abuse involving Parks. The report was then screened by Child Protective Services and sent to the Charles County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) for investigation.
Detectives from the CCSO made contact with the victim who revealed that over the course of approximately two years she was repeatedly abused by Parks. The abuse included Parks showing the victim pornographic material and Parks engaging in repeated sexual acts with the victim. The abuse began when the victim was approximately 8 years old. The abuse came to light some 10 years later when the victim was interviewed in May of 2017. During the course of the investigation, Parks admitted to the sexual contact as described by the victim.
Parks entered a guilty plea in Circuit Court in front of the Honorable Judge Amy J. Bragunier to Sex Abuse of a Minor on Wednesday, October 18, 2017.
During sentencing, Assistant State's Attorney Jonathan Beattie told the judge, "Mr. Parks was supposed to be a role model for protection. The biggest, greatest betrayal is to violate trust to the extent Mr. Parks did. This is an issue the victim will be dealing with for the rest of her life. This was not an isolated incident. Mr. Parks was grooming the victim for his own selfish gratification."
Parks' overall sentence was 25 years suspend all but 11 years active time to serve. The State recommended and argued for a sentence of 15 years active time.