A former staffer at a juvenile facility on Long Island has been jailed following “serious and troubling allegations” that he drugged and raped a 15-year-old girl in his care earlier this year.
In a nod to the severity of the charges, the former youth support specialist was immediately terminated and is being held at the Riverhead Correctional Facility unless he posts $250,000 in cash or a $500,000 bond.
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced the indictment on Monday, describing multiple felony charges, including rape and endangering the welfare of a child. The Imprint is not naming the 40-year-old defendant due to the early stage of the case.
“This defendant miserably violated his duty of care to the victim by allegedly taking advantage of his position of trust and authority in order to satisfy his sexual desires,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney stated in a press release. “No child should ever have to endure sexual abuse, let alone at a facility in which they should feel safe.”
According to an investigation announced by the District Attorney’s office, the accused worked as a youth support specialist at the Brentwood Residential Center for Girls between January and February of this year, and had been in charge of monitoring his alleged victim. During that time and on multiple occasions, the DA stated, the defendant “allegedly provided the victim with edibles, which are food products that contain cannabinoids, and then had sexual intercourse with her.” He was arrested on March 1 for a Feb. 12 incident, according to publicly available court records.
Attorney Pierre Bazile, the court-appointed lawyer for the defendant, told The Imprint his client “maintains his innocence and denies the allegations against him. We intend to hold the prosecutor to the burden of proof, which at this time, we don’t believe they can sustain,” Bazile said.
The Brentwood Residential Center is a low-security facility run by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), housing youth who are typically between the ages of 12 and 18 and have been adjudicated as juveniles.
In response to inquiries, a spokesperson for the state agency emphasized that its “top priority is the health, safety and well-being of all youth at OCFS-operated facilities.”
The email to The Imprint went on to state that “the employee in question was terminated immediately after we learned of these serious and troubling allegations.” The state child welfare office is now “actively conducting a full review of all security procedures and cooperating with” investigations by law enforcement and the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs — the agency tasked with investigating claims of abuse and neglect at state-run facilities.
The center’s spokesperson also confirmed its active investigation but would not comment further.
In November, an Imprint reporter visited the Brentwood Residential Center for a story about theater and other healing arts for youth in detention. The Dix Hills facility is the only one of its type in New York with a performing arts program.
According to the facility’s Youth in Care report, in 2021, 23 girls were admitted to Brentwood that year, the majority had been adjudicated for assault or “criminal mischief,” which involves property damage. The average length of stay in similar New York facilities is roughly nine months.
Research from multiple sources reveals high levels of childhood trauma among girls who end up incarcerated and in the justice system. The Justice Research and Statistics Association has highlighted one study showing more than 70% of incarcerated girls reported being exposed to trauma, with 65% showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The defendant in the case involving the Brentwood 15-year-old is due back in court on May 2 before Suffolk County District Court Judge Karen Wilutis.
The arrest follows another disturbing incident in New York state’s juvenile facilities, the still-unexplained Oct. 27 death of 19-year-old Caprist McBrown, who had been housed in an Albany pre-trial detention center. So far little information has been released on the cause of the rare in-custody death of a teenager.
Although officials have confirmed that autopsy and toxicology results were completed in December, they have not been made public, pending an ongoing investigation by the Town of Colonie’s police department, the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs and the State Commission of Correction.
