Dr. Charles Wadlington, associate professor of psychology, was arrested Wednesday on allegations of sexual abuse of a child. 

Wadlington has been charged with continuous sexual abuse of a child, apparently beginning more than four years ago, according to the arrest records. The crime is a first-degree felony, punishable by five to 99 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

The allegations all relate to members of his family, with at least one incident, it is alleged, having taken place in his office on campus. 

According to an email sent by Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, Thursday, there are no reports of the involvement of ACU students, and Wadlington was placed on administrative leave. 

Schubert said the university plans to cooperate closely with law enforcement in the investigation of this issue. 

“We take matters like this very seriously and will fully cooperate with law enforcement as needed throughout the investigation,” Schubert said in the email. “The ACU Police Department is in close communication with the Abilene Police Department.” 

ACUPD was informed of the investigation during the second week of March, and were informed of Wadlington’s arrest on Wednesday. 

Sgt. Thomas Valdez with ACUPD said that despite being informed of the investigation, details were not shared with ACUPD immediately. 

“We saw the story on the Big Country Homepage and that’s how we found out about the incident that took place on campus,” Valdez said. 

The Optimist continues to seek access to the full arrest warrant from the Abilene Police Department. 

This is a developing story.