Uncle’s Sexual Abuse Of Minor In Davidsonville Prompts Prison Time: Officials

DAVIDSONVILLE, MD — A man will head to prison after officials accused him of sexually abusing his great-niece in Davidsonville, a press release announced Monday.

Authorities said the accused great-uncle, identified as 55-year-old Dennis Moreno, last Thursday entered an Alford plea to one count of sexually abusing a minor. This means Moreno still says he is innocent, but he admitted the evidence would likely result in a guilty verdict if it went to trial.

Officials said a judge last Thursday sentenced Moreno to 18 years in prison.

The investigation started on Nov. 16, 2020 when the Anne Arundel County Police Department and the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services heard about the accusation. The release said a trained forensic interviewer then spoke with the victim, now 15, on Nov. 20, 2020 at the Child Advocacy Center in Millersville.

The victim told authorities that her relative, Moreno, started sexually abusing her when she was 5, the release said. The victim reported he touched her private area so often that it became normal to her and he told her not to tell anybody.

The victim said the sexual abuse happened in her grandmother's home, where Moreno also lived. The release said the victim told a relative about the abuse, and Moreno was kicked out of the house.

He then moved to Los Angeles. Moreno was a resident of Norwalk, California before he was arrested.

The release said that after Moreno's arrest, the victim's cousin said the man sexually assaulted her. The second victim, now 32, reported Moreno assaulted her between the ages of 7 and 12. That victim also said Moreno threatened to sexually assault her younger sister.

Officials said the second victim told her family about the sexual assault, but they did not call the police.

Prosecutors said they told the sentencing judge about "the defendant’s pattern of sexual abuse of minors."

"The victim, now a teenager, lived with this pain for years as the defendant exploited and abused her as he had done to her older cousin," Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said in the release. "It is because of her remarkable strength in coming forward, that the defendant will finally be held accountable for his despicable actions."

Assistant State’s Attorney Maria Stamidis prosecuted the case. Judge Schaeffer presided over the trial.

Authorities encouraged victims of sexual abuse to tell a trusted person or call the county's Sexual Assault Crisis Center and Hotline at (410) 222-6800 for support.

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