Maryland man sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually abusing child

An Eden, Maryland man was sentenced to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a child, under the age of 10, for over two years.

On September 18, 2019, the Honorable S. James Sarbanes, Administrative Judge of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County, sentenced Clarence Wilkins Powell, age 75, of Eden, Maryland to 40 years in the Division of Corrections (DOC) for one count of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of second degree sexual offense.

Judge Sarbanes accepted Powell’s guilty plea prior to imposing sentence.

This sentence will run consecutive to a ten year sentence that Powell is currently serving in DOC for a 2014 conviction in Wicomico County for sexual abuse of a minor.

Powell’s guilty plea is as a result of his repeated sexual abuse of a child under the age of ten and over a two year period. This sexual abuse occurred prior to him being convicted in 2014 for sexually abusing a different child under the age of thirteen.

Wicomico County State’s Attorney Jamie Dykes, commended the lead investigator, Detective K. Oppel, of the Salisbury Police Department, assigned to the Wicomico County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) and other members of the CAC for their work in the investigation.

State’s Attorney Dykes, who prosecuted Powell in 2014, also commended Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Diane Karsnitz, who prosecuted this case.

State’s Attorney Dykes said, “Wicomico County is a safer place with this child predator off its streets.”