Bel Air Man Charged with Rape in Child Molestation Case

A Bel Air man has been charged with multiple sex offenses in connection with the molestation of a child in 2009.

Timothy Cole Donelson, 28, of the 500 block of Pritt Lane in Bel Air, is facing multiple charges in Harford and Cecil counties including rape and perverted practice, court records show.

Maryland State Police began investigating Donelson after he sent a cropped photo of the victim to her father, in which she was wearing only a necklace Donelson gave her, according to the Cecil Whig, which reported Donelson contacted the father in attempt to get the necklace back after their relationship ended. The victim then reportedly admitted to her father that she had been involved with Donelson from the time she was 9 to 16; he was 21 when the relationship began.

Donelson is accused of having sex with the girl at an Easter party in Elkton when she was 11 or 12, according to the Cecil Whig, which reported he frequently gave the victim marijuana before their sexual acts, which occurred multiple times a month.

In Harford County, Donelson is charged with second-degree rape, three counts of a second-degree sex offense and one count of a third-degree sex offense. Those offenses were all from Friday, April 10, 2009.

In Cecil County, Donelson was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sex offense, third-degree sex offense, fourth-degree sex offense, perverted practice, second-degree assault and contributing to the delinquency of a child, according to online court records. He has a preliminary hearing in Cecil County District Court scheduled for Oct. 10.

Donelson was being held at the Cecil County Detention Center with bail set at $200,000, The Whig reported.

Anyone concerned about child sexual abuse may contact the Harford County Child Advocacy Center. Forest Hill-based nonprofit organization the Race Against Abuse of Children Everywhere (RAACE) also provides awareness and prevention training around the topic of child sexual abuse.