Wade allegedly had sexual intercourse with a female minor, 12, in April 2010
Today, Maxwell Wade, 21, a resident of Ladyville, was acquitted of two counts of carnal knowledge after a nine-member jury returned unanimous not guilty verdicts.
Wade is alleged to have had sexual intercourse with a female minor, 12, twice between April 1, 2010 and April 30, 2010.
According to the minor, now 15, in April of 2010, she went to Wade’s house in Ladyville, and after watching the television for a short time, Wade kissed her. They then went into the bedroom and she asked him to play the keyboard and sing a song for her, which he did.
After Wade serenaded her, they both got undressed, Wade put on a condom, and they engaged in sexual intercourse.
The minor told the court that after 30 minutes, she asked Wade to stop because it was hurting her. They both took separate baths and returned to the living room, where, after preparing something in the kitchen, Wade again had sexual intercourse with her.
The minor had told the court that Wade knew her age because she had asked her mother to tell him she was 12, and her mother did.
But Wade, who was represented by attorney Bryan Neal, and who gave sworn testimony, painted a different picture to the jury; he told the court that although the minor had visited his house, they did not engage in any kind of sexual intercourse, and that there was no kind of undressing in any way that had occurred that day, or any other day for that matter.
Wade said that the minor was known by both himself and his mother, and that he had met the minor through her mother because her mother worked at the same place as he. He said that the minor used to ask him about what type of music he was listening to while at work, and he had told her that it was gospel music because he was a Christian.
He told the court that on that day when the minor was at his house, he sang two songs for her because she had asked him to do so. And then Wade revealed the reason he said he would have never taken his clothes off in front of the minor.
Wade told the court that he was embarrassed to take off his clothes because he had three nipples, and it was plain to be seen by anyone who saw him naked. He told the court that it was an embarrassment to him because anyone who had ever seen it, had laughed at him, and if he had taken his clothes off in front of her and had been in such close proximity to her as she had said, it would have been something she would have remembered and spoken about.
Wade was then allowed to lift up his shirt in court to show the jurors what he referred to as a third nipple – something the minor never made mention of in her testimony.
After all the evidence was presented to the court, Justice Adolph Lucas then went over the evidence with the jury, and after deliberating for just under three hours, the jury returned with unanimous not guilty verdicts for both counts.
Wade was allowed to walk out of court a free man.