DA TENDY ANNOUNCES THE CONVICTION OF BREWSTER RESIDENT FOR RAPE IN THE SECOND DEGREE

CARMEL, NEW YORK – AUGUST 3, 2017: District Attorney Robert Tendy announced today that 19 year old Christian Manuel Salazar-Miguel was convicted of two counts of Rape in the Second Degree and two counts of Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor. The defendant wooed his underage victims through social media, eventually leading to sexual intercourse.

Tendy indicated that a joint investigation with the Putnam County Sherriff’s office and the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office led to a search warrant on the defendant’s Facebook page and a review of thousands of posts. Exhaustive investigation by Putnam County Sheriff’s investigator Shaun Menton and District Attorney’s Investigator Jaemie Caban resulted in the identification and interview of the young victims, who were only 13 and 14 years old.

As a result of the intensive investigation, the defendant was sentenced to four years in state prison; 10 years post release supervision, and will be required to register as a sex offender. “This case is an unfortunate reminder of how dangerous social media can be and how important it is for parents to monitor their kids’ social media use,” Tendy said. “There are sexual offenders out there grooming our kids to be victims. Education and awareness for the parents and in our schools is vital. This case is another example of why my office will continue to educate our kids while simultaneously prosecuting the offenders.  Prevention and prosecution will continue to be my top priority”

Chief Assistant Chana Krauss prosecuted this case and frequently gives talks to students about the dangers of social media. Tendy commented that “ADA Krauss is always available to go to a school and discuss these issues with students, parents, and teachers. Nobody knows more about this problem than she does, and she can be a great resource. School administrators can contact my office at 845-808-1050 if they want to discuss this. Sadly, it is a problem that is not going to go away. Vigilance and education are extremely important.”