Wade awaits bond hearing on sex abuse charge
Published 11:22 pm Thursday, July 8, 2010
After two first-degree sexual abuse convictions 29 years ago, he still hasn’t learned his lesson.
Anthony Scott Wade, 44, now waits in the Dallas County Jail for his bond hearing today on another first-degree sexual abuse charge.
Investigators from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wade after a girl under the age of 16 filed a report of molestation by a relative.
Three more victims have filed reports of alleged sexual abuse incidents that occurred in previous years, one victim stating the incident occurred within the past year.
“There is enough evidence to charge him right now with one count of sexual abuse first-degree,” said Investigator Mike Grantham.
Investigators believe more victims have yet to report incidents.
“Don’t be scared to come to us,” Grantham said.
He assures that victims will remain anonymous if information is released to the media.
Wade is not listed as a sexual offender on the registry with the state Department of Public Safety Community Information Center or the U.S. Department of Justice Dru Sjodin National Sex Offenders public web site.
Under the Community Notification Act, all convicted sex offenders are required to register with offender databases for the rest of their lives.
They must update their residential address and place of employment in their birth month and then six months later each year. Failing to register is an additional felony, which could require additional prison time.
To protect children from becoming victims of sexual abuse, parents and guardians need to inform children of “good touch versus bad touches,” said Wanda Goodwin, program supervisor for the Department of Human Resources family services.
“Talking to your children is the best thing,” Goodwin said. “Share information with them of how to be aware when approached by people from the community who are strangers or relatives.”
Parents and guardians also need to be aware of the relationships children have with other adults because most offenders know the children they abuse, Goodwin said.
“The way they are able to offend them is through a relationship approach with the children,” Goodwin said. “That’s the biggest way to gain access to the children is through those relationships and trust.”
Goodwin suggests parents and guardians also monitor Internet usage to ensure children are not accessing chat room Web sites where they could interact with potential predators.
Sexual abuse first degree is a Class C felony, requiring the offender serve between one and 10 years in prison and may also include a maximum fine of $5,000.
This type of abuse occurs when a person forces another person to have sexual contact with them, even if the person is incapable of consent due to physical or mental reasons.