Laurel Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Sex Crimes
LAUREL, Del. – A Laurel man was sentenced last week on child sexual abuse charges after accepting a plea deal in November of last year.
On Jan. 7, 34-year-old Jesse Frank was sentenced to 14 years of incarceration at a Level V facility, followed by probation. The Laurel Police Department (LPD) says Frank also has a related case that remains pending in the State of Maryland.
In Mar. 2025, the LPD Criminal Investigations Unit received a report indicating Frank had committed multiple sexual offenses involving a minor while in Delaware. Through a month-long, dual-state investigation, detectives determined the abuse occurred over an extended period of time, and spanned both Delaware and Maryland. Authorities coordinated closely with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office to locate Frank and take him into custody without incident on Apr. 15, 2025.
As a result of the investigation, Frank was charged in Delaware with the following offenses:
- Rape in the Second Degree – 2 counts
- Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child
- Sexual Solicitation of a Child
- Sexual Abuse of a Child by a Person of Trust in the Second Degree – 8 counts
- Unlawful Sexual Contact in the Second Degree with a Minor – 8 counts
Frank was arraigned and remanded to the custody of the Sussex Correctional Institution in lieu of posting a $304,000 cash-only bond. Following the arrest, he was later indicted on two counts of dealing in child pornography.
On Nov. 7, 2025, Frank pled guilty to both counts of dealing in child pornography, as well as one count of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
