Caroline Co. man sentenced for sexually abusing minor

RIDGELY, Md. – A Ridgely man has been sentenced to three decades in prison for sex abuse of a minor.

We’re told the investigation began in May 2023 and was a joint effort between the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, Caroline County Department of Social Services, Caroline County Children’s Advocacy Center, and Caroline County State’s Attorney’s Office.

As a result of the investigation, David Whetstone was arrested on August 14, 2023 on a list of charges, including second degree rape, sexual solicitation of a minor, sex abuse of a minor, third and fourth degree sex offense, and second degree assault.

Whetstone entered an Alford plea to one count of sex abuse of a minor in February 2024, and this week he was sentenced to the maximum of 30 years behind bars. The judge also ordered him to register as a Tier 3 Sex Offender and have lifetime sexual offender supervision, including being ordered to have a GPS monitoring, polygraphs, and no contact with minor children.