Teen sex abuse case started anonymously online

The Wicomico County State's Attorney's office shed new light on sexual abuse case Wednesday after getting a conviction in the matter the day prior. The jury only taking 15 minutes to convict Dallas Fenton of eight counts of third degree sexual offense among other charges.

Senior Assistant State's Attorney Karen Dean prosecuted the case and told 47 ABC the relationship started between the then 14-year-old victim and the then 57-year-old Accomack County man online in the spring of 2016.

"He had gained contact and access to her on an app called Whisper and that it then sort of extended to video chatting on Skype," Dean said.

The relationship started friendly, but Dean had ulterior motives. 

"Their first conversation was 'I just want to get to know you' and she really thought that's what it was," Dean said. "Her guard wasn't up, you know she just thought 'oh hey someone's understanding me, we can talk about family and that kind of stuff and then it just leads down a path."

Fenton would end up making four trips from Accomack County to Wicomico County to have sex with the victim between April and May of 2016.Three times at her house when her parents weren't home. The fourth time happened in Dean's car after picking the victim up from her house. The victim telling her parents a friend was picking her up for a school dance.

"The fourth incident, he picked her up in his vehicle, they went and had sex on the side of the road and then he dropped her off at a middle school dance," Dean said.

Deans said the victim called the relationship off at that point, but things surfaced again that winter when Fenton's wife would travel to Salisbury to confront the victim. 

The victim wasn't home, but the surprise visit was enough for the victims mother to become suspicious. Eventually getting the truth from her daughter and then calling the police. 

Wednesday the jury only took 15 minutes to convict Fenton of 8 counts of third degree sex offense. 

State's attorney Ella Disharoon says that was a testament to the case the state was able to bring.  
"I think it says that Karen did an exceptional job at presenting the evidence  that she had and the jurors were convinced immediately that he was guilty of the charges for which he had been charged," Disharoon said.