RICHARD D.

FRITZ
STATE'S ATTORNEY FOR St MARY'S COUNTY

CIRCUIT COURT
DIVISION

COURT HOUSE
41605 COURT HOUSE DR.
POST OFFICE BOX 1755
LEONARDTOWN, MARYLAND 20650-1755
301-475-7844 ext. 4500
FAX 301-475-4596

November 13, 2014

PRESS RELEASE
On November 6, 2013, William Clay Wilson, age 47, was indicted by the Grand Jury sitting in
St. Mary's County for Sexual Abuse of a Minor, Second Degree Sex Offense, and Third Degree
Sex Offense against a minor child. On March 24, 2014, he entered an Alford plea and was found
guilty of Third Degree Sex Offense involving a mentally incapacitated victim. He was sentenced
by the Honorable Sean Wallace to ten years in the Department of Correction, suspended to nine
years of active prison time. Upon his release, he will be placed on five years of supervised
probation. He was ordered to register as a Sex Offender with the Maryland Sex Offender
Registry for the remainder of his life.
At sentencing, the defendant's mother, local realtor Jan Barnes, addressed the court and asked
for leniency because her son had a drinking problem and didn't know what he was doing at the
time. Additional witnesses included the defendant's brother and psychologist James Lewis. The
victim's stepmother spoke on the victim's behalf. In fashioning a sentence that exceeded the
Maryland Sentencing Guidelines, Judge Wallace made mention of the defendant's prior
involvements in activity of this sort, noting an incident in 2005 where the defendant attempted to
lure a young girl into a car from a Wildewood bus stop.
The Office of the State's Attorney would like to commend the St. Mary's County Sheriff's
Office, Detective Cory Ellis, Detective Scott Ruest, and the Maryland School for the Deaf for
their hard work to protect this victim and ensure justice was done to protect our community's
children.