Man guilty of child’s sex abuse

    Murphy – A local man accused of committing sexual acts against a child pleaded guilty last week.
    Charleston Ray Waldroup, 38, of Culberson, pled guilty on Jan. 6 to felony child abuse by committing a sex act with a child, felony child abuse by committing prostitution with a child and indecent liberties with a child. A judge sentenced him to serve a minimum of 12 years in prison. Waldroup received credit for the 273 days he spent in jail prior to the plea deal, and he may only serve a maximum of 24 years in prison.
    According to prosecutors in the case, Waldroup engaged in sexual intercourse with a preschooler, which included acts of fellatio and cunnilingus. He also allowed an unknown man to engage in sex with the child, according to prosecutors, who say Waldroup did so in exchange for drugs and hypodermic needles.
    The incidents happened from January 2012-15. Three other people – Ricky Tex Waldroup, Janet Brown Waldroup and Mary Martha Rankin – have also been accused of abusing the child. The case against the co-defendants remains active and may go to trial later this year.
    “The case is still open at this point, and the other defendants are scheduled for trial,” District Attorney Ashley Welch said. “We plan to try all of them separately, but that could always change.”
    Waldroup’s plea deal does not require him to testify against other co-defendants in the case.
    “Certain statements one co-defendant makes may not be admissible against another co-defendant, which is part of the reason why they may all be tried separately,” Welch said. “We’re trying to dispose of these cases cleanly, meaning we don’t want the Court of Appeals to overturn them.
    “At the end of the day, we want to make sure that when we get a conviction, it stands.”
    As part of his plea deal, prosecutors dismissed eight charges against Waldroup that are related to several other Superior Court cases.