The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Dr. Charles Wadlington, a licensed psychologist and a psychology professor at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, stands accused of sexually abusing his adopted children.
An Abilene Christian University professor has been accused of sexually abusing his adoptive children, including at least one incident that happened on campus.
Charles Wadlington was arrested on a warrant for Sexual Abuse of Child and now remains held in jail on a $75,000 bond. (Wadlington was released on March 23 according to the Taylor County Jail records.)
Court documents state that in March 2023, a child came forward to police and said she and her sister were sexually assaulted by Wadlington, their adoptive father, and their brother may have been harmed as well.
The brother was interviewed first. The documents state he described an instance where Wadlington touched him painfully in an inappropriate area after he got in trouble for play fighting with his sister. He also told detectives Wadlington “raped his sisters”, and that’s why one had moved out.
During a Child Protective Services investigation, the documents state one of the sisters reported Wadlington had engaged her in sexual activity multiple times, “and that one of those times was in his office at ACU”.
Investigators also spoke to the 2nd sister, who reported Wadlington sexually assaulted her multiple times beginning when she was 13-years-old and that she ran away from home when she was 15 because of the abuse, according to the documents.
She was able to detail multiple acts of sexual abuse he exposed her to and also stated she knew of at least one time he sexually abused her sister as well, and the documents state the abuse of her sister is what made her finally come forward and make a report.
This sister also told police she made an outcry to their mother, Mrs. Wadlington. The documents state she told the girl that, “if she spoke, to think about what would happen to all of the kids.”
Wadlington would also, according to the documents, bribe this sister with cash, driving lessons, and shopping to keep her from reporting the abuse.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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