NJ man found guilty of raping his 14-year-old relative outside her Cape Cod home
A New Jersey man has been found guilty of raping his 14-year-old relative outside of her Cape Cod home in 2021, the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
After a six-day trial and over two hours of deliberations, a Barnstable County Superior Court jury found 46-year-old Hasbrouk Heights resident Cheldon Clare guilty of aggravated child rape and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older, the district attorney's office said in a press release.
On Monday, a judge sentenced Clare to 12 to 14 years in prison, to be followed by five years of probation, the district attorney's office said. He must also now register as a sex offender.
Authorities began investigating Clare after his family member — a 14-year-old girl — and her mother made a report to Barnstable police on Sept. 6, 2021, alleging that he'd sexually assaulted the girl, the district attorney's office said. The teen told police Clare had driven from his home in New Jersey to her home in Hyannis on the morning of Aug. 27, 2021, and sexually assaulted her in his car.
Detectives obtained Clare's phone records, which revealed that he'd groomed the girl for a month prior to the assault and that the phone had been near the girl's home the day of the assault, the district attorney's office said. The teen's pants also tested positive for Clare's DNA.
"District Attorney Galibois acknowledges the bravery shown by the young victim and the commitment by the law enforcement officers to secure evidence in our pursuit of justice," the release reads. "My office will continue to stand with survivors and work alongside our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable."
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