Rape, Gun Charges After Investigation Into Sexual Assault Of Minor: Police

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Police arrested an accused sexual predator following a raid on a Dutchess County apartment on Wednesday.

The City of Poughkeepsie Police Department says that 32-year-old Ericq Pesante, of the City of Poughkeepsie, was arrested after an investigation into the sexual assault of a minor.

On Wednesday, around 3 p.m., members of the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department Detective Bureau, with the assistance of the Poughkeepsie Joint SWAT Team and the Gun Involved Violence Elimination Detail, executed a search warrant at an apartment on Union Street.

After an investigation, detectives arrested Pesante, and charged him with felony first-degree disseminating indecent material to a minor; felony criminal possession of a firearm; and two felony counts of third-degree rape.

Police say that Pesante is currently being held pending arraignment.

The investigation remains ongoing, according to police. Anyone with information about this case is being urged to contact the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department Tip Line at 845-451-7577. Calls may be made anonymously.