July 13, 2006
Auburn man is sentenced for sex assault
Bill Fortier,
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
AUBURN - The former chairman of the School Committee started
serving a one-year jail sentence Monday after pleading guilty
earlier that day in Central District Court in Worcester to child
sexual assault charges.
Joseph F. Ferrie, 75, of 188 Rochdale St., also pleaded guilty
yesterday in Dudley District Court on a charge of indecent assault
and battery on a child under 14, according to court records.
Mr. Ferrie, who
resigned from the School Committee and School Building Committee on
Nov.14, pleaded guilty Monday in Central District Court, in front of
Judge Robert L. Howarth, to two charges of indecent assault and
battery on a child under 14, according to records in that court.
Mr. Ferrie originally faced charges in the Worcester court on one
count of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and rape
of a child with force. The rape charge was amended to indecent
assault and battery on a child under 14, according to Mr. Ferrie's
lawyer, Mark L. Monopoli.
Mr. Monopoli declined to comment on why the charge was amended.
Mr. Ferrie was sentenced Monday by Judge Howarth to two-and-a-half
years in the House of Correction, with one year to serve and the
balance of the sentence suspended for three years, according to
documents in both courts and Mr. Monopoli.
Mr. Ferrie was in the Dudley court yesterday, in front of Judge Neil
G. Snider, for his sentencing on the charge filed last November by
Dudley police. He will be on probation until July 13, 2010, and he
must register as a sex offender and receive sex offender counseling,
according to court records.
Mr. Ferrie, who started serving the one-year sentence in the
Worcester County House of Correction in West Boylston on Monday, was
also ordered to have no contact with children under age 16.
The sentences issued by the Worcester and Dudley courts are to be
served concurrently.
Mr. Monopoli said Mr. Ferrie chose to plead guilty to provide
closure to the victims in the cases.
"This has taken a toll on him, obviously," Mr. Monopoli said. "And
it weighed heavily on him."
The sentences were the result of an agreement by prosecutors and the
defendant, Mr. Monopoli said.
Mr. Ferrie was charged earlier this year with the rape of a child
with force and indecent assault and battery on child under 14 by
Auburn police in connection with sexual assaults on a girl that
allegedly occurred from Jan. 1, 1994, to Jan. 1, 1998, in that town.
The girl, now 18, told authorities that the assaults involved
touching and digital penetration and occurred about twice a week
during the four years, according to court records.
The Dudley charge was based on an allegation that Mr. Ferrie
sexually assaulted a young girl last November while visiting a home
in that town.
Mr. Ferrie had joined the School Committee in 2000 and School
Building Committee in 1999.
April 6, 2006
Ferrie pleads not guilty to child sex charges
By Gary V.
Murray TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
gmurray@telegram.com
WORCESTER—
Former Auburn School Committee Chairman Joseph F. Ferrie pleaded not
guilty to child sexual assault charges at his arraignment yesterday
in Central District Court.
Mr. Ferrie, 75, of 188 Rochdale St., Auburn, has been charged with
rape of a child with force and indecent assault and battery on a
child in connection with sexual assaults on a girl that allegedly
occurred from Jan. 1, 1994, to Jan. 1, 1998, in Auburn. The alleged
victim, now 18, told authorities the assaults involved touching and
digital penetration and occurred about twice a week during the
four-year time frame, according to court records.
The assaults allegedly began when the girl was about 6 years old.
Not-guilty pleas were entered by the court on Mr. Ferrie’s behalf
yesterday at the request of his lawyer, Mark L. Monopoli. Judge
Austin T. Philbin released Mr. Ferrie on personal recognizance and
continued his case to May 3.
As conditions of his release, Mr. Ferrie was ordered to have no
contact with the alleged victim and to stay away from
all children
under the age of 16. The conditions imposed by Judge Philbin were
requested by Assistant District Attorney Kennera M. King, who is
prosecuting the case.
Mr. Ferrie declined to comment on the charges after yesterday’s
arraignment.
Mr. Ferrie, who resigned from the Auburn School Committee and School
Building Committee Nov. 14, is also facing a charge of indecent
assault and battery on a child in Dudley District Court. A hearing
on that charge, which is based on an allegation that Mr. Ferrie
sexually assaulted a young girl in November while visiting a home in
Dudley, is scheduled for Monday.
March 23, 2006
By Bill Fortier
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
wfortier@telegram.com
AUBURN— The
former School Committee chairman is facing new charges that he
sexually assaulted a minor.
Joseph F. Ferrie, 75, will be summoned to Central District Court in
Worcester for an April 5 arraignment on two criminal complaints
issued yesterday. Police Chief Andrew J. Sluckis Jr. said criminal
complaints of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and
rape of a child with force were issued in Central District Court
against Mr. Ferrie, of 188 Rochdale St.
Mr. Ferrie, who has been charged by Dudley police with indecent
assault and battery on a child under 14 years old in that town in
November 2005, is to appear in Dudley District Court April 10 for a
hearing on that charge. According to documents in Dudley District
Court, a sexual assault on a young girl allegedly occurred while Mr.
Ferrie was visiting a private residence in Dudley.
Mr Ferrie’s Worcester-based lawyer, Mark Monopoli, said only that he
was aware of yesterday’s action and the April 5 arraignment date.
Chief Sluckis said the Auburn complaints are the result of an
ongoing investigation by Detective Sgt. Jeffrey A. Lourie and the
Worcester district attorney’s office. He said the alleged incident
leading to the issuance of the criminal complaints happened in
Auburn. He said the alleged victim was familiar with Mr. Ferrie and
was interviewed. Chief Sluckis declined to release more information
on the incident.
November 30, 2005
Young girl is
alleged victim in Ferrie case -
Auburn school chair's exit follows accusation of contact
Gerard F. Russell, 
Worcester
Telegram & Gazette (MA)
DUDLEY - Joseph
F. Ferrie, the former chairman of the Auburn School Committee who
resigned from the board two weeks ago, leaving fellow members
stunned, did so just days after Dudley police began investigating an
allegation that he had sexually assaulted a young girl a few days
earlier.
According to documents in Dudley District Court, the assault
allegedly occurred while Mr. Ferrie was visiting a private residence
in Dudley.
Mr. Ferrie, 74,
of 188 Rochdale St., Auburn, cited personal reasons for leaving the
board. He submitted his resignation Nov. 14. He also resigned from
the School Building Committee.
The police investigation into the incident began Nov. 11; court
documents indicate the alleged assault was a few days before that.
The age of the alleged victim is not available from police or the
court papers. The parent of the alleged victim complained to police
about the incident.
According to the documents, Mr. Ferrie was in a child's bedroom
playing with a few children. A child's statement to police indicated
Mr. Ferrie was playing a game in which he was trying to catch the
children "and if he `caught' them he would keep them between his
legs as he sat on the floor."
During the play, Mr. Ferrie allegedly had the girl on his lap and
"was grabbing her stomach under her shirt and then touched her
private area."
The child was wearing pajamas. The police report said Mr. Ferrie's
hand touched the child inside her clothing.
The alleged victim was in the room with friends who were cleaning up
toys that they were playing with. She told police she tried to get
off Mr. Ferrie's lap. Mr. Ferrie was sitting on the floor.
During an interview with an investigator from Worcester District
Attorney John J. Conte's office, the child was asked whose idea it
was for her to sit on Mr. Ferrie's lap. The child told the
investigator that it was Mr. Ferrie's idea.
She said, "I was cleaning up with them .... and I got off his lap
and then he told me to come back on, but I didn't go back on because
we're all done cleaning up and that's when ... and then he was all
alone in the room and then he told me to sit back on his lap, but I
just ran out in the living room with (name of another child) and my
other friend that was there."
The victim was asked if the two other children who were in the
bedroom at the time of the incident witnessed the touching. The
child said they had not seen it.
The parents of one of the children were in the house at the time of
the incident, the court papers indicate.
When the alleged victim was asked by the investigator from Mr.
Conte's office if she had met Mr. Ferrie before the day he touched
her "private," she answered that she had visited his house a couple
of times. She said she had sat on Mr. Ferrie's lap during a visit.
She said Mr. Ferrie "told her to come sit on his lap, but did not do
anything to her that day."
The girl said she felt uncomfortable while she sat on his lap that
day because he "kept rubbing my stomach" with his hand, the report
said.
Mr. Ferrie was arrested Nov. 22 and arraigned the next day on a
charge of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 years. He
was released on personal recognizance and is to return to court Jan.
4. He could not be reached for comment yesterday. A recording said
the telephone number was disconnected.
November 29, 2005
Ex-official faces
child sex charge -
Auburn school board chair
Harold A. Gushue Jr., Worcester
Telegram & Gazette (MA)
DUDLEY - Joseph F. Ferrie, the former Auburn School Committee
chairman, has been charged with indecent assault and battery on a
child under 14 years. He is to return to Dudley District Court Jan.
4 to face the charge. He was arrested on a warrant by Dudley police
Nov. 22 in connection with a Nov. 11 incident, according to court
records.
Mr. Ferrie, 74, of 188 Rochdale Road, Auburn, resigned Nov. 14 from
the school board and school building committee.
At the time, his
resignation came as a surprise to board members. He had said it was
for personal reasons.
Mr. Ferrie had served on the school board since 2000 and his current
term was to expire in 2007. He had been a building committee member
since 1999.
A retired airline pilot, he succeeded Karin S. Graves, who resigned
in January 2000. He was later elected that year to the board and was
re-elected last year. He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1999 for
the school board, losing at first by two votes and later, after a
recount, by three votes to Robert P. Valentine.
Mr. Ferrie's building committee appointment would have ended June
2007.
Mr. Ferrie did not return telephone calls yesterday seeking comment.
Dorothy Hauver, newly-named chairman of the school board, was
reported to be working late and could not be reached for comment
yesterday.
School Superintendent Helene Skrzyniarz said last night, "I have no
knowledge of this."
Board member Janie Casello Bouges said yesterday that she was
unaware of the court case when Mr. Ferrie resigned, but has since
learned of it. "Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with the
families involved. It's a very, very sad situation," she said.
Other board members did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
Police Chief Steven J. Wojnar said the alleged assault occurred in
Dudley.
No other information was available from court records.
New
child sex charges lodged