Teen Arrested, Forced to Apologize to Uncle who S. Assaulted Her

Henry Cadle portrayed himself as a loving, concerned great-uncle when he adopted his 12-year-old niece, Taylor, in 2012. She had been placed in foster care and wanted nothing more than to be with her family.

Taylor had no idea her uncle and soon-to-be adoptive dad, Henry, was a monster in disguise.

Henry began inappropriately touching Taylor soon after she joined him and his wife, Lisa, in their home as their daughter. He touched her in places no adult should ever touch a child, but wasn't satisfied with feeling around. Touching quickly escalated to rape; over and over and over again.

Due to an immense fear of returning to foster care, Taylor didn't tell a soul about the heartbreaking abuse she regularly experienced.  About a year after it started, she was desperate for peace of mind and wanted it to stop; she wanted to be a teenager and live the same everyday life as her friends.

Taylor Speaks Up, Gets Arrested & Forced to Write Apology Letters

Taylor told her church pastor's wife what Henry did to her behind closed doors. The woman immediately called the Polk County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives investigated Taylor's story and even spoke to Lisa and Henry. He played dumb, of course, claiming he loved Taylor "to death" and would never hurt her. She backed his claims, painting her husband as an honest, loving family man. 

No one believed Taylor.  A rape kit did not return any DNA, although detectives never took into account that it was performed well past the 24-hour collection time after the last attack, plus Henry used a condom.

Detectives accused Taylor of lying and went as far as to criminally charge her with filing a false police report. Lisa encouraged her to plead guilty; she did and was placed on probation. Taylor was also court-ordered to write apology letters to Polk County detectives as well as to the man who was hurting her. She was then sent back home with Henry and Lisa.

Taylor Strikes Back

The abuse continued.

On July 25, 2017, Henry took Taylor to his truck as usual and raped her again. But this time, she secretly hid her cellphone near her and caught the attack on camera. She called 9-1-1 later that night. Thanks to the evidence Taylor presented, police arrested Henry on charges of sexual abuse.

Henry denied the accusations until police showed him the photos. He changed his story, claiming he had been 'set up.' 

In February 2019, he pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 17 years in prison, much less time than a monster like Henry Cadle deserved.

The charges against Taylor were vacated.

Lawsuit Filed Against Polk County Sheriff's Office

Now a 20-year-old young woman, Taylor has filed a lawsuit against Polk County Sheriff's Office, naming Henry Cadle, Sheriff Grady Judd, and 12 other Sheriff's Office employees in the lawsuit. She alleges a "pattern, policy, practice, and custom, of failing to adequately train and supervise its officers, resulting in the deprivation of minors." 

In the lawsuit, Taylor says when she initially reported Henry Cadle to police, Detective Melissa Turnage with the PCSO immediately believed that she was lying, and said to her, “Do you want to go back to foster care? Because more than likely, if he’s arrested, they’re not going to let you stay there. If it's not the truth, you’re going to hurt a lot of people.”

The lawsuit accuses Sheriff Grady Judd of encouraging his deputies to "disregard and violate Constitutional and Fourth Amendment rights of victims." The lawsuit says officers with PCSO were "poorly trained to handle child rape cases.'

Taylor told a reporter with WFLA that being forced to write those letters "kind of messed with my head."

The Sheriff's department responded to the accusations by calling the lawsuit “frivolous." 

Taylor, if ever you read this, I think you are an amazing person with so much courage. I wish you happiness, healing, and everything great life can offer.

Sources:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/florida-teen-forced-to-collect-her-own-evidence-to-prove-she-was-sexually-abused

https://www.theledger.com/story/news/crime/2019/02/15/teen-once-convicted-for-false-report-vindicated-as-rapist-gets-17-year-sentence/5960343007/

https://offender.fdle.state.fl.us/offender/sops/flyer.jsf?personId=107093