N. Smithfield High student charged with molestation
NORTH SMITHFIELD – Police and school official say an 18-year-old North Smithfield High School student is being held without bail at the state prison after he forced a 14-year-old female classmate to engage in a sexual act with him inside the school on Monday afternoon.
Justin Rapoza was arrested on the felony charge of first-degree child molestation the following day, after police learned of the incident from school administrators. Citing the victim’s status as a minor, the police declined to provide any specifics about the nature of assault, but by statutory definition the crime may involve any sort of sexual penetration and is often described in ordinary language as rape.
Rapoza was held overnight at police headquarters and arraigned in Third District Court in Warwick on Wednesday, at which point he was ordered held without bail at the Adult Correctional Institutions pending a review hearing on Nov. 21.
“Because we’re dealing with a juvenile that was 14 years old we want to make sure we handle it in the most delicate way possible,” said Detective Capt. Stephen E. Riccitelli. The nature of the alleged attack is likely described in an affidavit that investigators filed with Third District Court to support an arrest warrant for Rapoza. But Craig Berke, a spokesman for the judiciary, said the affidavit has been sealed pending further investigation because the victim is a child.
In two separate statements that were issued about the incident by police on Thursday, including a followup described as an updated version, investigators said the encounter took place during school hours – a point that Schools Supt. Michael St. Jean insisted was not factually correct.
He said the incident happened about 3 p.m. in the school kitchen – shortly after dismissal – but St. Jean said the school was unlocked and there were some after-school activities going on.
St. Jean said the criminal charges grew out of an internal, school-based probe that began when a custodian noticed students in the kitchen after hours and told administrators about it the following day.
School administrators identified the students involved – Rapoza and the alleged victim – and questioned them about what was going on. St. Jean said social workers, parents and police were all notified as soon as it became plain to school personnel that there had been sexual contact between the two students.
“I don’t even want to say this is an atypical occurrence,” said St. Jean. “This just doesn’t happen here. But it did.”
St. Jean said he was not present for the interviews of the students that were handled by social workers and police, so he has no first-hand knowledge of what they told investigators. Even if he did, St. Jean indicated he would not discuss it publicly at this time.
“Because a minor was involved and it’s now in the hands of the courts and the police and the legal system, we’ve been letting the police investigation play itself out,” he said.
The superintendent said he was in the process of preparing an e-mail intended to brief parents about the details of what happened and assure them that the school department will take measures designed to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
St. Jean said “We do have quite a few after-school protocols in place,” but the incident will likely result in a push to further restrict student movements in the building after dismissal.
“It’s an open building,” said St. Jean. “Our key thought is that there are some parts of the building that are not observed after hours – for example the kitchen. These are the types of areas of the school that we can lock up.”
School Committeewoman Jean B. Meo said that she was briefed about the incident by school administrators in a timely fashion and is satisfied the matter was handled appropriately.
“I strongly feel that the administration acted appropriately in notifying the police quickly,” she said. “Of course, a major concern of mine and, I think, the school committee, is the safety and security of our students and we’re going to make sure that we take measures to assure that.”
Those sentiments were echoed by School Committee Chairman James Lombardi, who called for “zero tolerance in these situations.” He said, “I can assure the parents the School Committee will be doing everything in its power to make sure our children are safe and secure.”
Details about Rapoza’s background are sketchy, but North Smithfield High School apparently isn’t the only secondary school he’s attended. He previously attended Mount Pleasant High School, according to his Facebook page, which features photographs of him wearing the uniform of the Providence school’s football team.
Rapoza turned 18 years old four days before the alleged assault, which makes him a legal adult subject to the maximum criminal penalties if he is convicted of the crime. First-degree child molestation carries a minimum penalty of 25 years to life in prison, though the courts have wide discretion to modify the period of incarceration by suspending all or a portion of it, with probation.
The judiciary’s database indicates that Rapoza has no prior criminal history, though juvenile records are not included there. Riccitelli said he could not comment on whether Rapoza has any criminal record as a juvenile.