By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
Charles Wayne Reynolds entered a plea of guilty on Monday morning to a charge of third degree unlawful transaction with a minor. The change of plea came after mediation which led to an agreement that would reduce the original felony charge of first degree sexual abuse of a victim under 12 years of age. Reynolds’ new charge, a misdemeanor, made him eligible for conditional discharge.
Under the agreement, reached March 5, Reynolds will be sentenced to 12 months – the maximum allowed for the misdemeanor he pleaded guilty to – with the sentence being conditionally discharged for two years. During that time Reynolds’ will be on supervised probation, however he will not be required to undergo sexual offender treatment as he would if pleading guilty to the original charge.
Judge Rebecca Phillips also reminded Reynolds that, even though he wasn’t pleading guilty to a sexual abuse charge, his record isn’t eligible for future expungement because his crime involves a minor. She also reminded him that if he violated any terms of his probation he would serve the entire 12 months, with no credit for time served.
Phillips told Reynolds that she was going along with the Commonwealth’s recommendation, reached in mediation with the victim’s family, but noted the fact that Reynolds had also been arraigned on Monday in a separate case, on a charge of wanton endangerment involving the discharge of a firearm, didn’t give the court great confidence. Reynolds pleaded not guilty in that case, and was scheduled to reappear on April 21.
In addition to the two years of conditional discharge, Reynolds was ordered to have no contact with the victim in the first case until after she had turned 18 – a period of more than ten years based on the age shared with the court by family.
Phillips also ordered Reynolds to have no unsupervised contact with any other minors, to neither possess nor use any firearms, and to have no contact with the victim in his wanton endangerment case.
Reynolds, as noted following his arrest and court appearance on these most recent sexual abuse charges last year, also had a previous arrest for sexual abuse of a victim under 12 years of age stemming from a 2003 incident. He received five years of diversion after entering a plea deal in that case, according to court records shared with the Carter County Times by individuals associated with the 2003 case.
Judge Phillips also set a trial date of July 8 for Joshua Lewis on charges of first degree rape and first degree sodomy, and scheduled mediation for Bruce Barnett on charges of first degree rape, first degree strangulation, and fourth degree assault. Like Reynolds, Barnett also has a second, unrelated case before the court; this one involving possession of heroin, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The judge also heard a request for bond modification for Bobby Wages, who is charged with first degree sexual abuse, and third degree sodomy – but the Commonwealth expressed reluctance to lower bond in the case. Phillips scheduled a follow up on April 21.
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
Absolutely sick that after having the same charge once before, he was given diversion? The judge and everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves. I guess in Carter county you get less time for sexually abusing children than you do for possession of drugs. This man has already done this twice and both times was let off with a slap on the wrist. And he doesn’t have to register as a sex offender? When he hurts another child, everyone involved in this case should be charged as an accessory. Sickening.