Woman Forced to Apologize to Her Rapist as Teen After Sheriff Accused Her of Lying: Lawsuit

According to a federal lawsuit filed on October 10, obtained by TooFab, Taylor Cadle is suing Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Detective Melissa Turnage over the investigation, in which the sheriff's office falsely concluded Taylor "lied" about being sexually abused by her great uncle, and adoptive father, Henry Cadle, from ages 9 until 13.

The lawsuit claims the sheriff's office forced a 13-year-old Taylor to write apology letters to Henry and Sheriff Judd as part of her probation, after she was charged with lying to law enforcement, with the alleged notes featured in the complaint.

It wasn't until Taylor provided photo and video evidence of the abuse that her uncle was charged with the years of rape and sexual abuse, and Taylor was ultimately exonerated, per the complaint.

Per the lawsuit, Taylor claims she was sexually abused by her great uncle from ages 9 until 13, from 2013 until 2017, saying it began after she was adopted by Henry Cadle and her great aunt, Lisa Cadle, after previously being in foster care.

She alleges that the sexual abuse and rape often occurred when Henry would take her on rides in his truck.

Taylor claims, per the lawsuit, that she "kept the abuse a secret for years, due to her overwhelming fear of being returned to foster care if she reported the rapes."

According to the complaint, the investigation began after Taylor opened up to a church minister's wife in July 2016, alleging the years of abuse she suffered at the hands of her uncle. The minister then called the police, with the Polk County Sheriff's Office then conducting an investigation.

The lawsuit features Taylor's disturbing and graphic recollections of her sexual abuse, along with Detective Turnage's alleged actions after she was assigned to the investigation. The complaint claims Turnage made it "clear" that she "did not believe" Taylor.

Per the lawsuit, during Turnage's interview of Henry, she told him, "Basically, Taylor [Plaintiff], I guess, has made up these allegations, okay? That you have been sexually abusing her."

The docs also allege that Henry declined to take a polygraph test after Turnage asked if he was willing to take one. He responded, per the lawsuit, "I've had sex with a lot of people in the shower with my eyes closed, if you know what I mean. I'm a man."

Although Taylor continued to insist she was being truthful, the investigation concluded that there was "not enough" evidence to charge Henry with abuse, as noted in a December 2016 police report cited in the lawsuit. While her uncle was not charged, Taylor was.

"There is however, enough probable cause to establish Taylor Cadle lied during a felony investigation. It was determined Taylor [Plaintiff] falsified information in the initial investigation, and all lab results returned negative," the lawsuit reads.

Taylor claims that she was "advised" by her great aunt and adoptive mother, Lisa Cadle, to plead guilty, per the complaint. In May 2017, Taylor subsequently pled guilty to giving false information to law enforcement, and was placed on probation, the lawsuit notes.

According to the lawsuit, Taylor's "conditions of probation included a curfew, that she perform community service, engage in anger management counseling, and write a letter of apology to [uncle], who had repeatedly sexually abused her for years, and the PCSO, who had relentlessly pressured Plaintiff to recant her truthful allegations against [Henry] from the start of their 'investigation.'"

Taylor's handwritten letters are included in the lawsuit, as shown in the photos below.

In the first letter, which is addressed to "dad," she wrote, "im sorry for what i did. I didnt stop and think of my consequences. This will never happy again + im sorry."

Meanwhile, in the second letter, which was written to an "officer," Taylor wrote, "im sorry for my actions. I know what I did wasnt right therefore i face my consequences. This will never happen again."

According to the lawsuit, Taylor was returned into her adoptive parents' custody, and "less than one month after being forced to apologize to her abuser," Henry "continued his pattern of horrific sexual abuse" against Taylor.

She secretly recorded evidence of her uncle raping her in his truck in July 2017, per the lawsuit, which says Taylor "took video footage and photographs during the rape."

According to the lawsuit, Taylor reported the rape that evening, and Henry was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual battery of a minor between the ages of 12 and 17. He was also charged for the past sexual abuse Taylor previously reported. Henry pled no contest and was sentenced to 17 years in prison in February 2019.

Meanwhile, in September 2017, the Polk County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against Taylor. Per the lawsuit, "it was learned that [Taylor] was, in fact, truthful in the information she provided to law enforcement. As a result, the charge of false information to a law enforcement officer during investigation is being dismissed."

Taylor is suing for "compensatory damages and special damages, punitive damages, cost disbursements, pre- and post-judgment interest, and attorney's fees, as allowed by law."

The Polk County Sheriff's Office slammed the lawsuit as "frivolous" in a statement to McClatchy News.

"Unfortunately, in today’s highly litigious society, lawyers will file frivolous lawsuits for just about anything, including second guessing nine year old criminal investigations, and then run to the news media attempting to get publicity for their lawsuit," PCSO communications director Scott Wilder said.

"In this case, our deputies did an extensive investigation and made deliberate and rational decisions based upon the information and evidence we had at the time," Wilder continued. "We look forward to vigorously defending against these baseless and fabricated allegations in court."

If you are experiencing or witness child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 911.