Crime & Safety
Branford Man Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Minor: State Police
The man, who had been talking with the minor through Snapchat, was arrested at work following a lengthy investigation, police said.
BRANFORD, CT — A Branford man is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, according to Connecticut State Police.
Zachary Amarante, 28, was arrested Friday by Connecticut State Police investigators, with assistance from UConn Police, at his place of employment, according to police.
Amarante was arrested on a warrant following a lengthy investigation, police said.
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Police began investigating Sept. 18, 2023, after a witness contacted state police regarding a sexual assault in Woodstock involving a 14-year-old girl and a “22-year-old” man, according to the arrest warrant.
The witness told police that she just found out that the victim had been talking “sexually” to a man over Snapchat with the username "MarkLBriggy," and found out that he had driven to Woodstock to meet with the victim at night, according to the warrant.
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Police were shown screenshots of messages the victim sent stating “good morning my 22 yr old bf” and the man stating “My sexy lil 14 year old,” according to the warrant.
The messages “clearly” showed they were “well aware of their ages,” police wrote in the warrant. In another photo, the victim “went into detail about what they did one of the times they saw each other,” according to police.
Police also found conversations between the victim and the man that “clearly shows that he knew she was only 13 years old the first time they met in person” in August, according to the warrant.
“The texts back and forth are clear that he knew her age and continued to engage,” police wrote in the warrant. “When looking at her phone it was also clear that the messages were very sexual.”
Police also saw several messages where Amarante said he was into “younger girls,” according to the warrant.
The victim told a witness multiple times that she had sexual contact with the man, according to police.
Amarante was charged with three counts each of risk of injury to a minor and second-degree sexual assault. He was held in lieu of a $500,000 bond.
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