LA PLATA, Md. — On June 4, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Makeba Gibbs sentenced 39-year-old Thoraz Xavier Smallwood of Waldorf to 15 years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor and second-degree assault, announced Charles County State’s Attorney Tony Covington.
Smallwood will serve five years of supervised probation upon release and must register as a lifetime Tier III sex offender. Violation of probation terms could result in an additional 20 years of imprisonment.
Smallwood pled guilty to the charges on January 13, 2025.
According to a Charles County Sheriff’s Office detective, the juvenile victim disclosed on June 6, 2023, that Smallwood had sexually assaulted her multiple times. Investigation revealed Smallwood was introduced to the victim at age 7 or 8 and acted as a father figure while grooming her. He later lived with her and began sexual abuse when she was 14, continuing for about a year across multiple Charles County locations.
The victim eventually reported the abuse to her mother, who contacted authorities.
During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie, seeking a 25-year sentence, condemned Smallwood’s grooming as “abhorrent” and described the betrayal of trust in a father-figure relationship as “the greatest injury” to a child.
Judge Gibbs called Smallwood “a very dangerous person,” acknowledging the “extreme harm” inflicted on the victim and her family.
Sentence Breakdown:
Sexual Abuse of a Minor: 25 years, with 15 years to serve, remainder suspended
Second-Degree Assault: 10 years suspended, consecutive to the first count
Five years supervised probation after release
