After spending nearly two years behind bars, accused child molester and former Bristol resident Jesse Perry began the first of two Superior Court trials Thursday, Nov. 20.
Mr. Perry has been at the ACI since being charged with three counts of first degree child molestation, two counts of second degree child molestation, two counts of first degree sexual assault and two counts of second degree sexual assault on Jan. 7, 2013. He has waived his right to a jury trial, opting for a trial before Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Netti C. Vogel.
Judge Vogel listened to prosecutor Shannon Signore lay out the facts of the case last Thursday, Nov. 20, viewed graphic images of Mr. Perry’s private area, and heard testimony from one of Mr. Perry’s alleged victims. Two other alleged victims also provided testimony. The court also heard from two witnesses who the alleged victim confided in when the molestation occurred.
Mr. Perry was led back into the courtroom in handcuffs and shackles Friday. Prosecutors reviewed the testimony given the day before, ensuring that what was presented during trial matched affidavits previously given by the alleged victim, now 33. He told the court he was sexually assaulted over a period of years until he was 14.
The man described how he came from a broken home and was befriended by Mr. Perry. The two formed what Ms. Signore described as “a father/son relationship” that Mr. Perry took advantage of, using his familiarity with the alleged victim to fondle and eventually persuade the child to engage in oral sex with him.
The alleged victim described skin tags and discolored patches of skin on Mr. Perry’s private area, details the prosecution said proved that contact between the two was more than what would occur in a locker room or in a shower.
Judge Vogel heard testimony from two other men who said Mr. Perry victimized them as well. They spoke about Mr. Perry, who was their football coach, fondling them beneath their clothes “in guise of a cup fitting.”
Speaking on behalf of Mr. Perry, attorney Robert Craven didn’t refute the claims of acts of oral sex the alleged victim said occurred, but said the claims of fondling was actually Mr. Perry’s attempts to teach the boy how to properly wash himself in the shower. Mr. Craven said the shower activity was “a learning experience. A child, even at the age of 9, would have noticed” the details of Mr. Perry’s body, he said.
Throughout the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s, brothers Jesse and Richard Perry (of Warren) worked in youth programs across the East Bay. Together, they worked as camp counselors at the Bristol YMCA, and, along with a third brother, Jack, were active in local youth sports, including the King Philip Little League and the Mustangs Pop Warner football league.
Jesse Perry, who lived in Fall River at the time of his arrest in January 2013, retired from the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District in the spring of 2012 after a 30 yeas as a math teacher at Dighton Middle School.
Evidence collected by Bristol and Rhode Island State Police was brought to the Rhode Island Attorney General, who found sufficient evidence to merit a grand jury review.
On March 10, the state offered Jesse Perry a 40-year sentence, with 25 years to serve, in exchange for a guilty plea. He rejected the offer. He now faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted. Judge Vogel continued the trial to Tuesday, Dec. 16, when she will give her decision on the defense’s motion to dismiss the charges.
Brother Richard Perry is charged with violating three victims, with two counts of first degree child molestation and a total of four counts of second-degree child molestation, on which the Rhode Island Attorney General has brought three cases against Richard Perry. He was arrested by Bristol police in December 2012 after a lengthy investigation. His trial is slated to begin on January 12, 2015.
Both brothers have remained at the ACI since the time of their arrests.