Articles Posted in Sexual Crimes

Thomas DeBlois, a church choir director, was arrested on Saturday for alleged sexual misconduct. The 47-year-old Woburn man is charged with the Massachusetts enticement of a child. Now, pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, the Archdiocese of Boston has placed him on leave without pay.

DeBlois, who is St. Charles Borromeo Parish’s music and choir director, has worked there since 1992. He used to be a music teacher at the parish’s elementary school.

All parish volunteers and employees that work with children must undergo criminal background checks each year. The last time DeBlois was screened was in January. At the time, he had no criminal entries on his record.

A jury has convicted 40-year-old David Flavell of assault with intent to rape a Massachusetts General Hospital employee. The 40-year-old former Salem resident, who before this latest incident was already registered as a Level 3 sex offender, was accused of attacking the woman inside the Boston hospital’s lobby bathroom last October. The jury also convicted Flavell of Massachusetts assault and battery and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Prosecutors said that Flavell, who was waiting outside the woman’s restroom, followed the victim inside and placed an “out of order” sign on the door. They say that he pushed the victim’s head against the floor, tore her pants, hit her on the face, and tried to rape her before she got away. The Suffolk County District attorney’s office said that the “dangerous weapon” reference refers to the floor and the wall.

Because this is not Flavell’s first criminal offense, he could be sentenced to life in prison rather than the 20-years prison sentence that comes with a first conviction of assault with intent to rape. During the mid-1990’s, he was arrested in Salem for lewd sexual acts. He was convicted in Essex County in 1998 of assault with intent to rape. He was also arrested in Salem and Methuen six times for allegedly sexually pleasuring himself on clothes that were hanging in local stores. He was arrested in Salem in 2003 after he called a help line and said he was worried about what he might do. He was charged with making a false report. During a 2006 criminal trial, a Massachusetts Superior Court Judge determined that Flavell wasn’t a sexually dangerous person. Flavell was arrested in 2008 for peeping into a women’s stall at a Braintree bookstore.

Former Salem man convicted in sex assault case, Eagletribune.com, April 30, 2010
Sex offender convicted in MGH attack, Boston Herald, April 29, 2010

Related Web Resource:
Chapter 265: Section 24. Assault with intent to commit rape; weapons; punishment; eligibility for furloughs, education, training or employment programs, The General Laws of Massachusetts Continue reading

Two adults and three underage teen boys have been charged in connection with the gang-rape of a 7-year-old girl. The alleged victim’s 15-year-old stepsister has been charged with aggravated assault, promoting prostitution, and other crimes related to the case.

According to police, the 7-year-old was worried about her stepsister’s safety and went with her to a party. The teen had sex with a number of men in exchange for payment and also charged them to touch the 7-year-old. Police say that the touching became forcible sex and that seven men ended up raping the young girl. The men are accused of threatening to kill the 7-year-old if she screamed or reported the incident.

Among those arrested are 20-year-old Gregory Joseph Leary and 19-year-old Timear Lewis. The others that were apprehended are ages 17, 14, and 13. All five of them were charged with child endangerment and aggravated sexual assault. Leary has also been charged with having sex with a juvenile (the 15-year-old) too young to consent. The assault allegedly took place on March 28.

Even though nearly everyone arrested are juveniles, prosecutors may attempt to try everyone as adults.

Massachusetts Sex Crimes
You could find yourself in big legal trouble if charged with a Boston sexual assault crime. A conviction can lead to years in prison and a lifetime on the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board, which will brand you as a convicted sex offender. It can be difficult to move on even after you have already completed your sentence and other penalties.

Outrage Follows Arrests in Rape of 7-Year-Old New Jersey Girl, ABC News, April 4, 2010
Five Charged in N.J. Child Rape Case; Girl, 7, Allegedly Pimped by Teen Sister, CBS News, April 5, 2010
Six Arrested After Girl, 7, Is Gang-Raped in New Jersey, The New York Times, April 3, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Massachusetts Law about Sex

Study: Many sex offenders are kids themselves, USA Today, January 5, 2010 Continue reading

A 41-year-old registered sex offender has been arrested on charges of Massachusetts indecent assault and battery on a mentally challenged person and rape. Peter J. Duart was jailed on Martha’s Vineyard.

He is a Level 2 sex offender. This means that Duart has been convicted of a sex crime that makes authorities think that he is in the mid level danger range when it comes to possibly offending again.

Massachusetts Sex Crimes
If you are charged with allegedly committing a sex crime in Massachusetts, know that prosecutors will likely aggressively pursue your case. Even if you did not commit the crime, there is a good chance that your reputation may be ruined and your relationships and professional life could suffer. This is why you should speak with a Boston sexual crimes lawyer as soon as possible.

You must get good legal representation. If you are convicted of the sex crime, you could end up in prison, be ordered to pay stiff fines, have to undergo counseling, and/or serve probation. You also will be permanently listed as a sexual offender on Massachusetts’ state registry. Anyone who goes to the registry will be able to access your name. If you have a prior conviction on your record, the charges against you and the sentence you may be ordered to serve can be enhanced.

Sex crime convictions that require that a person register as a Massachusetts sex offender:

• Aggravated rape • Indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 • Indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 or over • Indecent assault and battery on a mentally retarded person • Rape of a child under 6 with force • Rape • Rape and abuse of a child • Assault of a child with intent to commit rape • Assault with intent to commit rape • Kidnapping of a child • Drugging persons for sexual intercourse • Enticing a child under the age of 16 for the purposes of committing a crime • Living off or sharing earnings with a minor prostitute • Inducing a minor into prostitution • A second conviction for open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior (excludes a single or first adjudication as a delinquent juvenile prior to 8/1/92)
• Disseminating to a minor matter harmful to a minor • Incestuous marriage or intercourse • Unnatural or lascivious acts with a child under 16 • Posing or exhibiting a child in a state of nudity • Aggravated rape • Possession of child pornography
Registered sex offender nabbed on rape charge, Cape Cod Times, March 20, 2010
Information for Sex Offenders, Mass.gov

Related Web Resource:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board
Continue reading

A 33-year-old middle school teacher who says she had sex with a student has turned herself in to authorities. Amy Beck is charged with one count of oral copulation with a person under 16 and four counts of unlawful sex with a person under 16.

Beck, a David Starr Jordan Middle School teacher, says she and 14-year-old student were sexually involved with each other from March to September 2009. He was 15 when their alleged relationship concluded. The boy has confirmed that the sexual relationship happened.

The school teacher says that she decided to come forward because she had been feeling remorseful about what transpired. Beck is married and has children.