Baltimore, Maryland – In a shocking case of child abuse, Scott Odham, 49, a previously convicted sex offender from Laurel, Delaware, was sentenced to 150 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake for traveling across state lines to engage in sex with a minor.
Odham, who was convicted in 2001 for child abuse and indecent exposure in Carroll County, will serve his sentence followed by lifetime supervised release. He must also register as a sex offender in his place of residence, employment, and education under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Rod J. Rosenstein, announced the sentence along with other law enforcement officials, including Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.
According to Odham’s plea agreement, between 2010 and April 2011, he sent numerous and explicit messages to over 50 high school and middle school females in Western Maryland. He then became Facebook friends with AS, a 19-year-old from Princess Anne, and began a sexual relationship. On April 22, 2011, a 14-year-old girl visited AS during her spring break and stayed at her home. Odham, aware of the girl’s age and location, traveled from Delaware to engage in sexually explicit conduct with the minor.
The case took a turn when Odham sent an inappropriate text message to the 14-year-old girl, which was seen by her science teacher and reported to the police. An investigation revealed that Odham had offered to pay the girl to take off her clothes and had demanded oral sex after she declined his advances. The victim described the incident in detail, stating that Odham had grabbed her by the hair and demanded oral sex.
A search warrant was executed at Odham’s home, where numerous pornographic pictures were found, including photos of Odham’s penis and explicit images of AS and the 14-year-old victim. Odham’s previous convictions include escape and perverted practices, for which he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 10 years suspended.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the project marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children.
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Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Sex Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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