Salisbury man sentenced to 22 years for two counts of sexual abuse of a minor
On Thursday, May 16, 2024, John Mumford, 35, of Salisbury, Maryland, was sentenced to 22 years of imprisonment for the sexual abuse of a minor.
Mumford was sentenced by the Honorable Karen M. Dean, Associate Judge of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 29, 2024, to two separate counts of sexual abuse of a minor. Sentencing had been deferred pending completion of a mandatory pre-sentence investigation and mental health assessment.
Following his active sentence, Mumford will be on five years of supervised probation under specialized sexual offender supervision and management, and supervised under Lifetime Sexual Offender Supervision. Should he violate probation, Mumford will be subject to an additional 28 years of incarceration and required to register as a Tier III Sexual Offender for life, said the Office of the State's Attorney for Wicomico County in a news release.
According to the release, in 2022, Mumford sexually abused a minor child. It was independently learned afterwards that in 2018, Mumford sexually abused a separate minor child.
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Although this child immediately alerted adults to what had occurred, and promptly disclosed the abuse, the offense was not reported to law enforcement when it occurred in 2018. Both victims were under the age of 12, the release stated.
“Sexual abuse committed against children extinguishes their childhoods. It is always difficult for children to disclose sexual abuse when it occurs. A terrible failing occurs when adults do not report the abuse to the appropriate authorities. Not only does the failure to report make survivors feel disbelieved, it allows abusers to remain free to commit further acts of abuse," said Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Dykes.
"Here, the diligent investigation by law enforcement, the multi-disciplinary approach employed by the Wicomico County Child Advocacy Center, the sentence of the court, and of course, the courage of the survivors, justice was achieved. I hope that the resolution of this case gives the survivors peace and healing," Dykes added.
Dykes commended Detective G. Wells of the Salisbury Police Department, Child Protective Services and members of the Child Advocacy Center for their work in the investigation. Dykes also applauded Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Calabrese, who prosecuted the case.
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Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Salisbury man sentenced to 22 years for sexual abuse of two minors
