Retired Arlington officer gets 10 years’ probation on indecency with child charges
A retired Arlington police sergeant charged with indecency over a woman’s accusation that he inappropriately touched her when she was a child was sentenced to 10 years’ probation on Wednesday in a Fort Worth courtroom.
The woman, a relative of the retired officer, disclosed the abuse in 2019 to a counselor and her husband before reporting it to Arlington police, according to an arrest warrant obtained by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2019.
William “Bill” R. Stallsworth, 63, of Arlington, was sentenced to 120 months of deferred adjudication probation on Wednesday in Criminal District Court No. 213 on two cases of indecency fondling. The sentences will run concurrently.
Deferred adjudication probation means if he successfully completes the terms of his probation, there will be no finding of guilt, the case will be dismissed and he will not have a conviction on his record, according to his defense attorney.
Stallsworth was arrested in 2019, but he posted $5,000 bond shortly after his arrest.
The indecency incidents occurred in October 2004 and October 2001, according to Tarrant County criminal court records.
Stallsworth had worked with the city of Arlington from 1980 until retiring in 2014 as a patrol sergeant, according to Arlington police.
“This agreement was a result of years of investigations and negotiations. A few weeks ago, we received an acceptable resolution, avoiding the necessity of a trial for all involved,” said Stallsworth’s attorney, Christy Jack, of the law firm Varghese Summersett in Fort Worth, in a Wednesday email. “On Wednesday, June 2, Stallsworth accepted responsibility for conduct that occurred almost 20 years ago and was given deferred adjudication probation. I think it’s an appropriate resolution, given the underlying circumstances and his lengthy career as a public servant.”
In the case, the woman told investigators that Stallsworth also had exposed himself to her repeatedly at his home. The detective determined, however, that the exposure incidents are past the statute of limitations, the warrant states.
Arlington police began investigating Stallsworth in late May 2019 after a 26-year-old woman reported that he sexually abused her when she was between 8 and 10 years old.
“The victim expressed fear that no one would believe her as a child making accusations against an adult, particularly due to the career of the suspect,” the affidavit states.
The woman told police she was concerned such abuse could happen to someone else because of Stallsworth’s involvement with an Arlington volleyball academy and a “city sponsored weekly event” that caters to teens. He also recently had become a volunteer with a vacation Bible school through his church, the affidavit states.
The woman told police Stallsworth had taken her and a young male relative on a ride at night in his pickup to look for animals in a field off Green Oaks Boulevard, near the fire academy and police station.
During the ride, she told police, Stallsworth placed her on his lap and fondled her breasts., according to the warrant.
This report contains information from Fort Worth Star-Telegram archives.
