Despite being convicted last week of molesting his daughter and two nieces, a Severna Park man doesn?t seem to be paying much of a price, several people familiar with the case complained.
A judge sentenced him to four months in the Anne Arundel County Detention Center ? granting him work release during that time ? and eight months on home detention.
He works from home anyway, said Elizabeth Handy, a former neighbor, who said the man and his family have recently moved.
“I was very disappointed by the sentence,” said Peter Ayerle, another former neighbor. He was the person who reported the crime after the victim confided in his daughter.
The Examiner does not identify victims of sexual abuse without their permission and is not publishing the man?s name to protect his daughter?s privacy.
The man continues to hold a real estate broker?s license though one of the requirements is to “be of good character and reputation.”
The Real Estate Commission does not automatically revoke someone?s license if he or she is convicted of a crime; decisions are made on a case-by-case basis ? if the commission finds out about the conviction.
“Sometimes the judges order the licensees to notify us ? which is very helpful. We have staff members who read the paper; we have people within the industry that report people,” said Katherine Connelly, executive director of the Maryland Real Estate Commission.
But it can difficult to keep tabs on all 55,000 licensees in the state, she acknowledged.
She said the commission has heard about this case and is investigating. The man will likely be called in for a hearing, and the commissioners will make a decision after they?ve heard all the evidence, Connelly said.
