CONCORD, North Carolina – The Concord Police officer charged with raping his adopted daughter plead guilty to several charges in a plea bargain agreement.
Douglas Buckwell, 42, is in a medium security prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a felony rape case involving his adopted daughter, according to court and prison records.
The case was settled with a plea agreement last week when Buckwell pleaded guilty to one count of sex offense in a parental role, one count of indecent liberties with a child and three counts of misdemeanor child abuse.
After Buckwell made his plea, he was sentenced to 25 to 90 months for sex offense in a parental role and 16 to 29 months for indecent liberties with a child. A variety factors of determine how much of the sentence is served in prison.
Before the agreement, Buckwell could have received 203 months in prison if convicted on all counts, according to court records.
The case originated on Feb. 11, 2016, when a report was made to the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office alleging her adopted father had committed a number of sexual offenses against her between August, 2009 and January, 2016. She alleged that many of the offenses occurred before she was 16 years old. She was 18 when she made the report.
Buckwell was suspended as an officer while an internal investigation was conducted by Concord Police, but resigned in April before that investigation was complete.
Buckwell was originally charged with first-degree statutory rape, statutory rape, first-degree statutory sex offense, statutory sex offense, indecent liberties with a child, sex act by a substitute parent and three counts of misdemeanor child abuse.
The state dropped 12 charges as part of the agreement, according to court records.
Buckwell was admitted into the Craven Correctional Institution in Vanceboro on Thursday, Sept. 1, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety offender website.
Buckwell was a 19-year-veteran of the Concord Police Department and served as a school resource officer since 2000 at Central Cabarrus High School.
According to a press release from law enforcement released in March, there was no evidence Buckwell committed any criminal acts while on duty or serving in the capacity of a Concord police officer.
The case was prosecuted by Rachel B. Larsen, a child abuse resource attorney with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. The conference handled the case because of Buckwell’s previous working relationship with the Cabarrus County District Attorney’s Office.