She Was Allegedly Made to Apologize to Her Rapist. Now She's Suing Police: 'Dear Dad, I'm Sorry for My Actions' By Samira Asma-Sadeque

Warning: This story contains graphic details of childhood sexual abuse

A Florida woman is suing a local sheriff’s department years after she alleges law enforcement officials made her write an apology letter to a man who raped her as a child.

Taylor Cadle, 22, alleged in a lawsuit that Polk County Sheriff’s Office personnel, including Sheriff Grady Judd and investigator Melissa Turnage, accused her of lying to investigators, forcing her to write apology notes to her adoptive father who had been raping her for years. According to suit, Taylor was the victim.

The adoptive father, Henry Cadle, has since been convicted of sexual battery of a child between the ages of 12 and 18, committed by a custodian, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE.

In the lawsuit filed in a Florida district court on Oct. 10, Taylor claims Henry sexually abused her between the ages of 9 and 13, after she had been transferred from foster care into the custody of Henry and his wife in 2012.

She claims she initially did not report him for fear that she would be placed back in foster care.

The investigation began in July 2016, when a church member in whom Taylor confided reported the claims to officials at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit contains sordid and graphic details of the allegations, including things Henry would say to Taylor during the abuse and things he made her do.

In an interview between Henry and law enforcement following the accusations, the lawsuit alleges, Turnage told him: “Basically, Taylor [Plaintiff], I guess, has made up these allegations, okay? That you have been sexually abusing her.” 

Henry declined to take a polygraph test for the investigation, allegedly boasting to law enforcement that he “had sex with a lot of people in the shower with my eyes closed,” the lawsuit claims.

In a police report, Turnage claimed there was no evidence Henry abused Taylor and accused Taylor of lying during a criminal investigation.

Taylor alleges she was pressured by Henry’s wife into pleading guilty to the charge, and was made to write apology notes to Henry and the police as part of her probation.

The lawsuit includes two handwritten letters, one addressed to Henry and another one addressed to an unnamed “officer.”

“im sorry for what i did,” read part of the note addressed to “Dad,” adding, “I didnt stop and think of my consequences.”

In another letter addressed to the officer, Taylor wrote: “I know what I did wasnt therefore i face my consequences,” adding, “This will never happen again.”

Taylor was returned to Henry’s custody and secretly recorded his abuse of her the following month. She showed officers the photographic evidence, per the lawsuit, which resulted in his arrest and conviction, according to online court records reviewed by PEOPLE.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE in a statement that the lawsuit is a publicity stunt and that “our deputies did an extensive investigation and made deliberate and rational decisions based upon the information and evidence we had at the time.” The office declined to comment further.

Taylor is asking for “compensatory damages and special damages, punitive damages, cost disbursements, pre- and post-judgment interest and attorney’s fees” in her lawsuit.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.