by Hector Flores
The suspect, Dennis DeMille, of North Queens Avenue in North Massapequa, was also charged with sex abuse and endangering the welfare of a child when Nassau County police arrested him on Oct. 24.
According to Detective Robert Dunn of the county¹s Special Victims Section, who conducted the investigation and made the arrest, DeMille was involved in a sexual relationship with the girl that began in April. The two were introduced by a mutual acquaintance, investigators said.
When he was arrested, DeMille was in his car with the girl on an East Meadow street. After his arrest, the teen was released to the custody of her mother, police said.
DeMille was charged with four counts of third-degree criminal sexual act and one count of third-degree rape, endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree sexual abuse, and was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Oct. 25 before Judge Joseph Calabrese. His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 19. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Nassau County police said that DeMille¹s arrest was made possible by information shared with them by the Suffolk County Police Department. Tim Motz, a Suffolk County police spokesman, said that DeMille, who worked for the Garden City School District until June, was arrested on July 20 with downloaded pornographic images and charged with one count of possession of a sexual performance by a child. His next court appearance on that charge is set for April 18, 2008, and it, too, carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.
Further investigation by the Suffolk County district attorney¹s office, Motz said, led to the discovery of DeMille¹s relationship with the girl and his latest arrest.
Robert Feirsen, superintendent of the Garden City School District, wrote in a letter to parents that the 16-year-old girl was not a student in the district, and emphasized that DeMille was no longer employed there, though he did not say why.
Feirsen added that during DeMille¹s tenure as a teacher at Garden City Middle School, there were no reports of any illegal or inappropriate conduct. However, Feirsen asked that parents report any contacts their children may have had with DeMille since his departure to school administrators or their local police precinct.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
