Hagerstown man charged with sexually assaulting minor

William Wellington Long is charged with 19 offenses, including two counts each of first- and second-degree rape and first-degree sex offense

June 13, 2012

Long

A Hagerstown man has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor in an incident that allegedly occurred in Talbot County, Md., 15 years ago, according to Washington County District Court records.

William Wellington Long, 47, of 132 N. Locust St. is charged with 19 offenses, including two counts each of first- and second-degree rape and first-degree sex offense, as well as counts of second-, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses, second-degree assault, child abuse and indecent exposure, court records said.

The charges against Long were filed Monday. He was held without bond until a court hearing on Wednesday, in which District Judge Mark D. Thomas set his bail at $150,000.

Maryland State Police in Talbot County allege that Long raped a preteen girl in the spring of 1997, according to the application for statement of charges.

The alleged victim, now an adult, was recently interviewed separately by Maryland State Police and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the charging documents said.

She told investigators that Long, whom she knew, forcibly raped her at a residence in Trappe, Md., and threatened the safety of her mother and sisters, the documents said.

The woman told investigators that Long raped her a second time, but that the assault was interrupted by an adult female relative of hers, the documents said.

The charging documents also said an investigator from the sheriff’s office had interviewed Long, who “confessed ... believing that the statute of limitations had expired on the crimes.”

Assistant State’s Attorney Leon Debes said after the bond-review hearing that some of the felony charges against Long, including rape, do not have a statute of limitations.

Debes asked that Long continue to be held without bond.

Assistant Public Defender Catherine Pugh told Thomas that Long is presumed innocent, has no criminal record, a stable employment record and has been a resident of Washington County for 14 years.

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