Man pleads guilty to child abuse

By Linda Cicoira

A 33-year-old county man maintained his innocence Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court but pleaded guilty to five crimes involving a child younger than 13 years old because the evidence against him would likely have resulted in conviction if the case had gone to trial.

Rhondai Shamek Carrasco through his lawyer, Garrett Dunham, and Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan made a deal that kept the victim from having to testify about the incidents. The child’s name is being withheld due to the nature of the crimes.

Carrasco was initially charged with five counts of rape that occurred between 2016 and 2020. He pleaded guilty to five counts of felony child abuse. The agreement also called for the defendant to be sentenced to 10 years for each charge to run concurrently with all but one year suspended.