A Charles County man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sex abuse of a minor.
Calvin Julius Burgess, 35, formerly of La Plata, was convicted on May 30 after a two-day trial that concluded with fewer than 30 minutes of deliberation, the Charles County State's Attorney's Office said.
The charges stemmed from a sexual relationship Burgess had with a girl when she was younger than 18 years old. On June 26, 2017, the girl told police about the relationship. The girl was older than 18 when she revealed the relationship, but the account was corroborated with text messages that were "sexual in nature with Burgess, as well as Burgess' confession to the sexual acts," a release by the State's Attorney's Office said.
While serving as a father figure to the girl, Burgess began manipulating her. The girl was particularly vulnerable to manipulation, and the inappropriate behavior went on for years, the State's Attorney's Office said. Burgess was accused of cuddling the girl, rubbing her legs, and showing her affection in an effort to gain sexual satisfaction. Burgess eventually engaged in "multiple sexual acts, to include intercourse, with the victim."
“My reaction to all of this is just, wow," Said Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier during sentencing. "Mr. Burgess, you are a narcissist in the first degree. The court finds that a sentence of 25 years is appropriate in this case. This child will need counseling for the rest of her life and all her future relationships will be affected by this trauma. Was this a blood and guts case? No—but that doesn’t mean that your actions were not heinous."
