Oklahoman pleads guilty to sexual abuse of a child
A man from Claremore, Oklahoma pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court for sexually abusing a child starting when the victim was nine years old and until she was 13, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Raymond Dale Dudley, 60, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under 12 in Indian Country and sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country.
The plea agreement calls for Dudley to serve between 40 and 45 years in prison. A federal judge will determine whether to accept the plea agreement at a sentencing hearing to be held at a later date.
In his plea agreement, the defendant admitted that he sexually abused the victim repeatedly between 2009 and 2013. Dudley continued to abuse the victim until 2013, when her older sister, who was no longer living at home, reported that she (the older sister) had been sexually abused by Dudley. The younger victim later reported that Dudley promised her in 2013 that he would stop abusing her if she hid the sexual abuse from child protective services workers. She complied, denying any abuse when she was interviewed at the home in 2013. A child forensic interview was not done at the time.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services believed the older sister’s allegations were unsubstantiated and closed the case. In 2015, she again disclosed that Dudley abused her, but the referral was closed, citing the 2013 investigation.
In 2021, the younger victim, now an adult, spoke about the abuse with an individual she trusted. She stated the abuse would often happen when no other adults were in the home and sometimes it would happen with other children nearby. The individual spoke with Dudley about the allegations. Dudley eventually admitted to the abuse but minimized his actions, suggesting the victim had “egged some of it on.”
Soon after, the victim reported the crimes to the Claremore Police Department. She disclosed that the abuse happened approximately twice a week starting when she was nine years old. Investigators also spoke to the older victim who had reported being abused by Dudley. She stated that Dudley had started sexually abusing her when she was about 14 years old and until she was 18 years old.
Child abuse experts state that disclosure is almost always a process for victims of childhood sexual abuse. Children may not tell for a variety of reasons. These include threats, gifts, or promises to the child, fear of the perpetrator, a lack of opportunity, a lack of understanding of child sexual abuse, or a relationship with the perpetrator. Impediments to disclosure include shame and fear of causing trouble in a family.
Victims most often disclose only when they feel they are in a safe environment.
It is rare for victims to disclose all the details of their abuse to any one person, and even rarer for victims to disclose every incident of abuse at one time. Sometimes, disclosure can take months or even years. Disclosure is determined by an interplay of child characteristics, family environment, community influences, and societal attitudes.
The FBI and Claremore Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chantelle D. Dial and Valeria G. Luster are prosecuting the case.