Dover Airman Charged with Continuous Rape of a Minor

Delaware State Police have arrested a 20-year-old man from Dover, Delaware on rape charges resulting from the continuous sexual abuse of a child. According to police, in April 2024, Delaware State Police Detectives began investigating a sexual relationship between the defendant, an airman stationed at Dover Air Force Base, and a 14-year-old girl. During the investigation, detectives learned that the suspect was involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a person under the age of 16. The defendant was arrested and taken to Troop 3 where he was charged with 10 counts of Rape in the Second Degree. Below, the Wilmington criminal defense attorney, Michael W. Modica, will discuss the crime of Rape in the Second Degree and the potential sentence that the defendant faces.

Rape in the Second Degree 

The defendant has been charged once for every alleged instance of sexual misconduct that occurred between him and the 14-year-old victim. 11 DE Code § 772 defines Rape in the Second Degree as: Intentionally engaging in sexual intercourse with another person, and the intercourse occurs without the victim’s consent. Rape in the Second Degree is also charged in other scenarios. Those include:

• The sexual penetration occurs without the victim’s consent and during the commission of another crime, or during the immediate flight following the commission of the crime, or during an attempt to prevent the reporting of the crime, the individual causes serious physical injury to the victim.
• The sexual penetration occurs without the victim’s consent and was facilitated by or occurred during the court of the commission or attempted commission of:
  • Any felony
  • The following misdemeanors:
    • Reckless endangering in the third degree
    • Terroristic threatening
    • Unlawfully administering drugs
    • Unlawful imprisonment in the second degree
    • Coercion or criminal trespass in the first, second, or third degree
  • The victim has not yet reached their 16th birthday and during the commission of the crime, the culprit causes serious physical injury to the victim
  • The sexual penetration occurred without the victim’s consent and during the commission of the crime, or immediate flight from the crime, the person displays what appears to be a deadly weapon or represents by word or conduct that they have a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.
  • The victim has not yet reached their 16th birthday and during the commission of the crime, or during the immediate flight from the crime, or during an attempt to prevent the reporting of the crime, the individual displays what appears to be a deadly weapon or otherwise threatens the use of a deadly weapon.
  • The sexual penetration occurs without the victim’s consent, and a principal-accomplice relationship existed between the defendant and another person or persons with respect to the commission of the crime.
  • The victim has not yet reached their 12th birthday and the defendant is over the age of 18

The minimum sentence for an individual convicted of Rape in the Second Degree is 10 years at Level V. This particular defendant is facing 100 years behind bars on ten counts of Rape in the Second Degree.

Talk to a Wilmington, DE Criminal Defense Lawyer Today 

Have you been charged with a serious crime in Wilmington, DE? Call Wilmington criminal defense lawyer Michael W. Modica today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin preparing your defense immediately.

Source:

dsp.delaware.gov/2024/06/05/dover-airman-arrested-for-continuous-sexual-abuse-of-a-child/