City man facing charges after late-night arrest
Suspect allegedly groped and punched girl, 14, before struggling with officers
WOONSOCKET — Within the span of a few hours, a 27-year-old man allegedly fondled a girl half his age, punched her in the face and then struggled with police officers who unexpectedly happened upon the alleged crime scene.
Willie Omar Rivera, 27, of 168 Morin Heights Blvd., is charged with second-degree child molestation, simple assault, resisting arrest and obstructing police.
Officers encountered Rivera, shirtless and clutching two bottles of beer in his hands, after responding to the Morin Heights Family Housing Development for an unrelated call at about 12:20 a.m. Sunday. A small, noisy crowd was yelling about a fight and several women were pointing to Rivera as if accusing him of something, Officers Christopher Rooney and Normand Guilbert reported.
One of the women told the officers Rivera had just punched her 14-yearold niece in the face during an encounter at a convenience store near the Robinson Street entryway to the housing project.
Earlier in the evening, the woman told police she and her niece ran into Rivera at a friend’s apartment. Rivera was drunk and had groped her niece’s breast “out of sexual
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The aunt and other witnesses told police Rivera had been in contact with the alleged victim on Facebook and he had become obsessed with her. He became infuriated with the girl when she blocked him, they said.
The aunt told police Rivera was angry because the girl was ignoring him and that she was “extremely bothered” after he allegedly fondled her.
Police described Rivera as belligerent and uncooperative when they first detained him. He allegedly cursed at them and tried to fight them off when as officers were attempting to place him in handcuffs.
Guilbert reported that Rivera was “intoxicated, his eyes were bloodshot and half open and he was slurring his words when he spoke to me...After multiple attempts, Willie gave me a good tug, getting his left hand free from my grip and spun around close and squared up face to face with me.”
Officers said they managed to gain control of Rivera after wrestling to the ground with him.
No one was injured in the incident, but police asked the Woonsocket Fire Department’s rescue personnel to respond to evaluate the girl as a precaution.
According to the state’s criminal database, Rivera has an extensive criminal record that dates back to 2013 and includes charges of felony assault, assault with a dangerous weapon and firing in a compact area.
Following his arraignment on the new charges in Sixth District Court on Monday, he was released pending another hearing on Oct. 23.
Rivera was ordered to have no contact with the victim in the meantime.