PHOTO: The suspect was caught by the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. Courtesy of ebay.es
By Michael V. Cusenza
A Massachusetts man who fled to New York City after being accused of molesting a disabled girl was nabbed last week in Richmond Hill by an elite division of the U.S. Marshals Service, according to police and published reports.
Sachin Patel, 24, a native of India who resides in Revere, Mass., was arraigned last Thursday in Manhattan on a single fugitive from justice charge. He was remanded to Rikers Island and ordered to return to court on May 6.
Patel was arrested without incident at a Richmond Hill apartment by the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force. According to a New York Daily News report, Patel was wanted in Massachusetts for allegedly leading a developmentally disabled 17-year-old girl to the back of the Revere convenience store in which he was working and molesting her.
The alleged assault was recorded by a store security camera. The girl reported the incident at her school.
Patel is awaiting extradition to Massachusetts.
People with intellectual disabilities are at an increased risk of sexual violence. Myriad factors can put this part of the populace in harm’s way, including:
- Lack of understanding
- Lack of social awareness and training that would help identify and anticipate abusive situations
- Ingrained reliance on the caregiver authority figure
- Long-term dependence on services and personal care
- Emotional and social insecurities
- Lack of capacity to consent to sexual activity
- Lack of knowledge and training in sex education
- Powerless position in society
- Low self-esteem, contributing to powerlessness
- Not realizing that sexual abuse can cause harm
- Not being able to tell anyone about the abuse
- Learned behavior not to question caregivers or others in authority
- Communication difficulties that hinder reporting abuse
- Fear of not being believed, leading to non-reporting of abuse
- Feelings of guilt or shame that prevent reporting of abuse
- Difficulty identifying an appropriate person to report the abuse to
- Low risk of prosecution for perpetrators
michael@theforumnewsgroup.com
