La Plata, MD – A man who sexually abused three minor children will spend serious time in jail after Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier handed down five concurrent 25-year sentences Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Wayne Paige Tindale, 63 of Waldorf, was given the five sentences on five of the 12 counts of sexual abuse of a minor he faced for incidents that occurred from Nov. 18, 2008 to Nov. 17, 2012.
He must serve is at least half of the 25-year sentence.
It is the sad story of a family “turned on edge,” John Tindale, son of the accused, told the court.
“Regardless of what happened in the past and how we grew up, this ends today,” he said. “This is the culmination of a lot of hard years. The only comfort we have is this situation.”
“The court should take into consideration how this has impacted the children and the whole family,” Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany Campbell said.
Charles County Assistant Public Defender Gerry Riviello stated that the “best case scenario” would be for his client to receive one 25 year sentence.
“He just turned 63,” Riviello said. “Because this is a crime of violence he would have to serve at least 50 percent of his sentence. That would put him in his mid-70s when he got out. He has a home. His wife has indicated she is not going to be able to maintain the residence without his income. If you sentence him to more than the 25 years, he’s not going to live that long.
“He has a series of health issues now,” he added.
“I’d just like to say to my family that I’m sorry for my actions,” Tindale told the court. “I was abused most of my life and I’d just ask the court to consider the effect that has on a person. I’m just very sorry. I can only hope that during the course of time my family can find some type of forgiveness. Hopefully, they can get there.
“I’m just sorry to have put them through this long process,” he added. “It seems like it took forever to get to this point.”
Bragunier imposed five sentences of 25 years each on the five counts of sex abuse of a minor, giving the defendant 347 days of credit, suspending only the 25 years in count 11. The other four, count 1, count 5, count 7 and count 9—all for sexual abuse of a minor, she said will run concurrently, along with five years of supervised probation should he be released.
Tindale will also have to register as a Tier 3 Sex Offender and is to have no contact whatsoever with minor children.
“You will be eligible for parole after you serve 50 percent of your sentence,” Bragunier said.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com