Slade sentenced to life without parole for sexual battery of a child

A Warren County man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to sexual battery of a child under the age of 14. Circuit Court Judge Toni Terrett handed Samuel Slade a life sentence without parole on Monday morning.

Slade was first indicted back in February after prosecutors presented to the Grand Jury that he molested two children from 2019 to 2022. Last week he pleaded guilty and faced a sentence ranging from 20 years to life in prison.

Slade submitted a written statement in court on Monday, saying that he wanted to get treatment and wanted a chance to rehabilitate himself.

Prosecutors Ricky Smith and Branan Southerland stated to Judge Terrett that the victims would have to “live with this for the rest of their lives” and that Slade should be sentenced to life. Terrett quickly agreed and sentenced Slade to life without parole.

Evidence revealed that Slade groomed two young girls into sexual acts, which he recorded on video, and he also took photographs of the crimes.

Smith and Southerland both praised the victim who was willing to testify if the case went to trial.

“This was a very terrible situation but she was willing to get on the witness stand and say what happened to her so that solidified the case,” Smith said.

Southerland met with the victim’s family on multiple occasions, where they agreed that the only deal they would accept was an open-plea from Slade.

“If he would’ve taken an open-plea I’m confident that Judge Terrett would’ve still sentenced him to life,” Southerland said. “My main focus was giving these little girls some closure.”

Slade will never be eligible for parole.

The District Attorney’s office has a reputation of seeking the maximum penalty for those commit crimes against children. Judge Terrett has also been known to hand out the maximum sentence to those who commit crimes against children.

L-R Prosecutor Branan Southerland and District Attorney Ricky Smith: Photo by Keith Phillips

“I’m proud of my office for maintaining the type of track record we’ve had on these child abuse cases,” Smith said.

“In my opinion Judge Terrett does an excellent job and I think every child abuse case I’ve presented she gave them a life sentence and we’re very appreciative of that,” Southerland said.

Stacy Rollison, Zach Primeaux and Erich Jershied of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office all investigated the case.

Slade still faces federal child pornography charges.