Former Conway man charged with two counts of statutory rape [11/19/2005]

By Dena Libner

Brandon O'Donnell, 18, charged with two counts of felonious sexual assault, waived his right to a probable cause hearing Tuesday in District Court of Northern Carroll County. His case will be bound over directly to Carroll County Superior Court. According to Sgt. Chris Perley, O'Donnell, who attended but never graduated from Kennett High School, allegedly raped a female minor on two different days July 24 and 28. The girl, whose exact age was not released, was between the ages of 13 and 16, police said.If a victim of aggravated sexual assault is less than three years younger than his or her assailant, the crime qualifies as a misdemeanor, Perley explained.Perley confirmed that the age difference between O'Donnell and the alleged victim is at least three years, putting the alleged victim at either 13 or 14 years old. Because of the three-year age difference, the young man is facing two felonies. The alleged rape was reported by the victim, who remains unidentified because of her status as a minor, and by her parents in August, police said. A warrant for O'Donnell's arrest was granted Sept. 6. "There was an allegation made by a female minor that described a scene and a crime," Perley said of the investigation and subsequent charges. "Detectives went to the scene to investigate and corroborate the victim's information."At the scene, Perley said, physical evidence such as a used condom corroborated the victim's story and led to O'Donnell's arrest.While Perley confirmed that O'Donnell and the alleged victim knew each other prior to the two alleged rapes, he said he did not know the extent of their relationship. Although the date of the superior court trial has yet to be set, Perley said he expects O'Donnell to receive a December or January indictment. At the scheduled probable cause hearing, O'Donnell said nothing except a single "guilty" to a charge of possession of alcohol by a minor, which is unrelated to the two felonious sexual assault allegations. For possession of alcohol by a minor, he was fined $300. A charge of bail jumping was placed on file without finding on the condition of good behavior for one year. A former Conway resident, O'Donnell has lived in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, since August.