Charles Winston Gary
Great Mills, MD— On May 13, the Department of Social Services, Child Protective Services received a referral regarding the possible physical abuse of a minor child. Detectives from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigation Division assumed the probe.
Contact was made with two juvenile victims; both had obvious signs of injury to their person. As a result of two separate interviews conducted with the victims, the following information was revealed.
According to charging documents, “On May 9, one of the victims was outside playing, with a frog and accidentally killed it. Upon hearing the news, the defendant identified as Charles W. Gary, 56, of Great Mills became extremely angry and began striking the victim at least five or seven times on the back of the victim’s legs with a brown belt.”
On May 12, the other victim was outside playing at her residence. At some point the victim placed a brick on the air conditioning unit. When Gary confronted the victim about his actions, he lied about it. “As a result of him lying, Gary proceeded to strike the victim about his action he lied about. Gary proceeded to strike the victim at least 20 times with a belt,” according to charging documents.
It should be noted that Gary is the biological father of both victims. Contact was made with the mother of the victims who advised, “Gary had physically disciplined the visits ‘many times before’ and described it as ‘more like a beating,'” according to charging documents.
The mother of the victims stressed that she feared Gary. “She did not report the abuse previously because Gary would make verbal threats she would never see her children again. Additional she believed Gary would ‘eliminate’ her or their children,” according to o charging documents.
On May 13, 2016, Gary was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center to await a bond hearing. Gary has been charged with two counts of second-degree child abuse and second-degree assault. Gary faces a maximum jail sentence of 50 years and/or a maximum fine of $5,000.
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