Last week, a Sullivan County man was released from a 50-year jail sentence after he was found innocent of raping a 12-year-old girl, while an Ulster County man was arrested after reportedly being caught in the act of trying to erase a hard drive full of child pornography.
The Times Herald-Record reports that a Sullivan County jury found 40-year-old Raymond Grimm not guilty of three counts of predatory sexual abuse of a child. Grimm's innocence was hard-won -- the newspaper reports that he once confessed to raping the girl, but then retracted the confession:
Grimm signed a confession in 2007 after the girl, the daughter of a woman he was having an affair with, reported to a sheriff's department DARE officer of being repeatedly raped by Grimm beginning around the fall 2006.
He wrote a letter of apology to the victim and pleaded guilty to two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child in exchange for an 18-year-sentence. He later attempted to withdraw his plea, claiming he was heavily medicated and innocent.
Judge Frank LaBuda refused to vacate the plea but threw out the deal and sentenced him to consecutive terms totaling 50 years, calling Grimm "an animal" who belonged in a cage.
Grimm's appellate attorney succeeded in getting the plea vacated on grounds that LaBuda failed to advise Grimm of a five-year term of post-release supervision at the time of his plea. Farrell appealed that decision and the Court of Appeals agreed to hear the case. That proceeding is now moot.
Meanwhile, last Wednesday, the Ulster County Sheriff's Office issued a press release about the arrest of 22-year-old Anton Jerez, of Highland, who was reportedly the object of a months-long child pornography investigation. The press release states that Jerez attempted to "destroy incriminating evidence" when detectives used a warrant to enter his apartment. Here's the release in full:
Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum reports that detectives from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Unit arrested ANTON B. JEREZ, age 22 of 939 South Street, Highland, NY, for numerous counts of Possessing a Sexual Performance by a Child, a class E felony, numerous counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child, a Class D felony, and Tampering with Physical Evidence, also a Class E Felony.
Detectives, along with members of the New York State Police ICAC Task Force, executed a Federal Search Warrant at Jerez’s South Street apartment after a several month long investigation into the sharing of child pornography over the internet. While attempting to make entry into the apartment, Jerez attempted to destroy incriminating evidence against him by reformatting his computer. Detectives were able to secure the evidence prior to him being successful in doing so.
Jerez was arraigned in Kingston City Court and remanded without bail to the Ulster County Jail to reappear in Plattekill Town Court at a later date.
