BY PORTSIA SMITH

A former Caroline County deputy walked out of court as a free man this week after pleading guilty to one count of felony child abuse.

Clyde C. Davenport, 52, a Caroline sheriff's deputy for nine years and briefly a candidate for sheriff in 1997, was accused of physically abusing and sexually molesting a young boy over a six-year period starting in 1998.

He accepted a plea agreement in Caroline Circuit Court Tuesday that dismissed five counts of forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual battery and malicious bodily injury for his guilty plea.

Judge J. Howe Brown sentenced Davenport to two years in prison with all but six months suspended. Davenport received credit for time served because he been in jail for nine months while awaiting an earlier trial.

Although Brown described the offense as "severe," he said he hadn't heard any arguments that would make him give a sentence outside the sentencing guidelines, which ranged from one day to six months in prison.

Special prosecutor George Elsasser, an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Stafford County, and defense attorney Cary Bowen were appointed to handle the case and reached the agreement on the plea. There was no agreement on sentencing.

When the judge asked Davenport if he was entering the plea because he was, in fact, guilty, Davenport initially said he was pleading guilty to get the case over with. After a brief discussion with his attorney, however, Davenport did admit guilt.

Davenport, who had been out of jail on bond, is in poor health and lives with his sister and two young daughters in King William County.

A three-day jury trial had been set to begin May 23 on the eight charges.

In September 2010, a jury found Davenport guilty of malicious wounding and child abuse resulting in serious injury after a three-day trial. The jury recommended that Davenport serve the maximum of 30 years in prison and pay a $100,000 fine.

But that verdict was set aside by Judge Joseph Ellis last May, when he declared a mistrial after Davenport's original defense attorney, John LaFratta, argued that Commonwealth's Attorney Tony Spencer prejudiced the jury by making statements during the trial about Davenport being a porn dealer and a racist.