Fla. man pleads guilty to child abuse

A Florida man, who was arrested and charged with sexually abusing a teen-age girl last year while he lived in Sykesville, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of child abuse.

Ellwood Fulkroad, 47, of Naples will be sentenced Nov. 22 by Circuit Judge Luke K. Burns Jr., court documents show.

Under the plea agreement, Fulkroad will be incarcerated for no more than five years and assault and sexual offenses charges against him were dropped.

Court documents said Fulkroad abused the girl, now 14, between April 1, 1998, and Sept. 30, 1998.

She told police she did not tell anyone at first because he had threatened to kill her.

In November, she became angry and told her father, who beat Fulkroad and threw him out of the house, court records show.