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On August 11, 43-year-old Edwin Richard Hunt was sentenced to 40 years in prison with 20 years suspended, as per Fox News. This came after Hunt pleaded guilty to r*ping a 13-year-old girl. Police initially received a report that a minor girl was r*ped, and began investigating the case.
Trigger warning: That article contains references to child p*rnography, s*xual harassment, and child abuse. Readers' discretion is advised.
Edwin Richard Hunt pleaded guilty to second-degree r*pe, s*xual solicitation of a minor, and production of child p*rnography. He was arrested on February 1, 2023, as per a report by Aol.
Maryland man, Edwin Richard Hunt, pleaded guilty to r*ping a 13-year-old girl
The Frederick Police Department began investigating the case on January 20, 2023. This came after authorities received a report that a minor girl was being r*ped by a Caucasian man in his 40s. According to the minor victim, she came across Edwin Richard Hunt online, and he later r*ped her.
Hunt reportedly first came in contact with the minor girl just about three weeks before he r*ped her. Edwin Richard Hunt initiated inappropriate conversations with the girl and also sent her s*xually explicit images.
The State's Attorney's Office for Frederick County issued a statement saying:
"The defendant, later identified as Hunt, had met the victim three weeks earlier on a social media platform. The defendant began to engage in s*xually charged conversation with the minor victim, while sending explicit images."
The State's Attorney, Charlie Smith released a statement after the case came to light and as per Fox News, he said:
"Every child deserves protection from the dangers of s*xual exploitation and abuse, be it online, in-person, or through s*xually explicit images."
Smith added:
"We stand by the bravery of victims who come forward, and we're resolute in our commitment to their safety. We will continue to work in tandem with other agencies to put an end to such reprehensible behavior."
The suspect reportedly traveled from his residence in Joppa, Maryland to meet the minor
The victim mentioned that Hunt wanted her to shoot an inappropriate video of herself. She reported that on January 18, he forced her to have s*x with him, and the next day, on January 19, he contacted her again for the same.
It was on February 1, 2023, that cops arrested Edwin Richard Hunt, and executed search warrants for his residence, workplace, and vehicles. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that Hunt had traveled from his residence in Joppa, Maryland to meet the girl. The first time he travelled to try to give her certain kinds of toys, and the second time, it was to s*xually assault the minor.
The Frederick County Cyber Crimes Task Force is currently looking into the case.
In April 2023, Rodger Githens, a University of Pacific professor was arrested after he tried to assault a 7-year-old girl. In an isolated incident just two months ago, in July 2023, Jared Lemon, a Capitol Police Officer was arrested on suspicion of possessing child p*rnography on his electronic devices.
