Brewster Man Charged With Rape of Minor in Patterson

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports the arrest of a Brewster man on a felony charge of rape.

On October 16, 2015 at approximately 10:00 p.m., while on patrol in the Town of Patterson, Deputy Sheriff Joseph Sadowski observed suspicious activity in a vehicle parked at the Park and Ride lot along Route 311. Upon investigation, the deputy determined that the driver of the vehicle, identified as Manuel De Jesus Mejia Lopez, 27, of 170 Peaceable Hill Road, Brewster had been engaging in sexual intercourse with a female subject who was under the age of 17. Under the law, a person under the age of 17 is deemed incapable of consent in such matters. The deputy arrested Mr. Lopez and charged him with Rape in the Second Degree, a felony. The defendant was arraigned before Town of Patterson Justice Anthony Mole and committed to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000.00 cash bail or $250,000.00 bond pending a future court appearance.

If found guilty of the felony charge, the defendant could face up to seven years in a New York State Correctional Facility and a fine of up to $5,000.00