A Dundalk sex offender who lured young boys to his house with candy, alcohol, drugs and a pool table will face up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court.
“This is a serious pedophile we?ve been working to get off the streets,” Baltimore County State?s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said. “Hopefully 40 years will mean something more than a slap on the wrist.”
Robert Paul Layton, 48, already faces up to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty Sept. 28 to producing child pornography.
He faces up to 40 years in state prison after pleading guilty to committing two second-degree sex offenses against a 13-year-old boy in January.
Layton admitted to luring boys to his house on Broadship Road and soliciting them for sex. As many as 11 boys ? ranging from ages 11 to 15 ? have accused him of giving them cash, alcohol and marijuana if they allowed him to performsexual acts on them, prosecutors said.
Layton permitted the boys to look at pornography ? and, in 2003, also coerced a minor male to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce pornography, prosecutors said.
In the case heard Wednesday, prosecutors said Layton took advantage of the 13-year-old boy by providing him beer.
“He was scared and felt like he had to comply because the defendant had been buying him food and just provided him with alcohol,” Assistant Baltimore County State?s Attorney Susan Hazlett said.
According to police charging documents, the boy protested Layton?s sexual advances.
“I am not gay,” the boy said.
“I?m the one who?s gay, not you,” Layton replied.
Layton is a registered child sex offender in Maryland.
Court records show he was convicted of three counts of a third-degree sex offense in Prince George?s County in 1995, but was released from prison early on good-behavior credits.
“Maybe the parole commission will realize no matter how well-behaved he is on the inside, he can?t behave in society,” Shellenberger said.
Layton will be sentenced in U.S. District Court on Nov. 15 and Baltimore County Circuit Court on Nov. 16.
