Ex-custodian gets prison for rape of girl, phone images
ALBANY — A former custodian at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland who raped a 14-yearold girl and kept sexually explicit images of children on his phone has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
Raquan Dyson, 29, of Guilderland, will also be subject to 10 years of supervision when he leaves prison, according to special prosecutor Alaina M. Finan, a Latham-based attorney.
In December, Dyson pleaded guilty before Albany County Judge William Little to seconddegree rape and attempting to promote a sexual performance by a child as a sexually motivated felony, Finan said.
“The criminal justice system seeks to protect the public, hold people responsible for breaking the law, and support people who fall victim to crimes,” said Finan, the special prosecutor, who credited Guilderland police for their work in the case. “With this plea deal and the defendant serving seven years of imprisonment followed by 10 years of post release supervision, the public is protected with a dangerous individual off the streets and remaining supervised for a lengthy period of time upon his release, the defendant is held responsible for his actions and some justice is achieved for the minor victims.”
In March 2022, Dyson was charged with the rape after investigators said the defendant went to the 14-year-old victim’s home to have sex. The charges gave rise to information that Dyson was engaged in illegal contact with other underage victims over social media, Finan said.
Dyson, who was hired in December 2021, had the required state Department of Education fingerprinting and a background check.
“No issues were found at the time. Furthermore, the individual worked the evening shift and was not in the building during regular school hours with students,” Guilderland school Superintendent Marie Wiles said at the time.
“We understand this news may be upsetting and may generate emotions and many questions within our school community,” Wiles had said. “We are committed to providing a safe and emotionally supportive educational environment for the children at Farnsworth Middle School and all of our students, and we will do our best to share additional information as it becomes available.”