Frederick woman arrested on multiple sexual abuse, child pornography charges

Maryland woman arrested on sex abuse, child pornography charges

Police in Frederick have arrested a woman on multiple charges of sexual abuse and child pornography involving a minor.

FREDERICK, Md. - Police in Frederick have arrested a woman on multiple charges of sexual abuse and child pornography involving a minor.

The allegations are deeply disturbing, involving sex acts between a 52-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy.

Neighbors react:

Community members told FOX 5 that they noticed heavy police activity Thursday morning at the suspect’s home. 

Most declined to speak on camera, but some expressed shock, while others admitted they had suspicions something was wrong.

"It’s just amazing something like that could happen," said neighbor Bob Bitler. "It’s a quiet community, everybody knows everybody. It’s very very heartbreaking, that someone didn’t see something before now."

What we know:

According to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, 52-year-old Rebecca Louise Whitman was taken into custody Thursday during the execution of a search warrant at her home off Trout Lane.

Court documents obtained by FOX 5 allege the abuse took place inside Whitman’s home and began in 2024, when the boy was 14. 

The minor’s testimony includes troubling details of repeated sexual acts — at least 10 incidents in the past year — that Whitman allegedly forced him to participate in.

Charging documents also state that during at least two of the incidents, Whitman asked the boy to video record the acts. That cellphone video was later found on the child’s phone, and his legal guardian alerted authorities.

"It’s disturbing because you think you know the people," Bitler said. "I thought I knew that girl pretty good, she walks up and down the road here every day. It should have never happened, her mother should have seen it, her mother lives there, her mother should have seen what was going on."

Dig deeper:

Authorities say this is not Whitman’s first encounter with the law. Her past record includes arrests for drug possession and misdemeanor theft.

She now faces nine charges, including sexual abuse of a minor, possession of child pornography, and filming a sex act.

Whitman’s mother confirmed to FOX 5 that she lives in the same home but said she was shocked and unaware of any abuse. She added that her daughter has been out of work and is the mother of four children.

Whitman is currently being held without bond.