No child should ever have to worry about being sexually assaulted by an adult, particularly a police officer in place to protect them. Unfortunately, an NYPD school safety officer is now facing allegations that he sexually abused a child going back years. At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., our New York City child sexual abuse attorneys want to discuss this case. Who was this officer, and how many children were affected by his abuse?
NYPD school safety officer Jeanisidor Jean Baptiste, 43, was recently arrested and charged with abusing a child beginning in 2008. The abuse is alleged to have occurred to a girl, who is now 17 years old, and court records say that the abuse lasted for years. The abuse allegedly occurred over the course of four years, until 2012, it happened at multiple locations, including the perpetrator’s home in Brooklyn.
The New York Police Department released a list of a range of charges against Baptiste, which include rape, sexual abuse, and predatory sexual assault against the child. Court records also indicate that Baptiste has been charged with two counts of felony course of sexual conduct against the child and a misdemeanor charge of acting in a manner injurious to a child.
According to data available from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), a child is abused approximately every nine minutes in this country. Data shows that one out of every nine girls and one out of every 53 boys will be sexually abused by an adult before they reach the age of 18. The reality is the statistics are likely under-reported, as many victims do not go toward for various reasons.
RAINN data shows that 93% of all perpetrators of sexual abuse are known by the child – 59% are acquaintances, and 34% of family members. These statistics are abhorrent. Unfortunately, there are often times when adults have the ability to groom a child towards sexual relations over longer periods of time. While we do not yet know the details of the arrest mentioned above, it is very likely that the NYPD school safety officer had a chance to groom his victim over a long period of time.
If you or somebody you love has been the victim of child sexual abuse, contact an attorney as soon as possible. At Soloff & Zervanos, P.C., we have extensive experience handling these cases, and we are going to help victims and secure the compensation they are entitled to. This can include coverage for:
If you need a New York City child sexual abuse attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 866-597-8572.