Woonsocket Man Charged with Molestation of Coventry Girl, 9

A 31-year-old Woonsocket man who used to live in Coventry is facing child molestation charges.

Coventry police announced Monday that they arrested Jason Duff, 31, of 47 Garden St., Woonsocket, after an investigation into his alleged molestation of a nine-year-old girl in Coventry.

Capt. John S. MacDonald of Coventry police said that the investigation began in mid-June and the molestation occurred at a Hope Furnace Road address.

Police interviewed the victim several times and eventually got a warrant for Duff’s arrest on two counts of second-degree child molestation.

On Monday morning, members of the U.S. Marshal Service SOLEMN Task Force set out to arrest Duff who was located with help from both Coventry and Woonsocket police.

He was then transported to Coventry police for questioning and later arraigned on the above-mentioned charges in Third Division District Court in Warwick.

Duff entered no plea to the charges, which is customary for felony arraignments in District Court, and was released after posting cash bail. He is due to return to court at a future date which had not yet been scheduled as of Monday night, according to court records.

At the time of his arrest, Duff was on probation after pleading no contest to a charge of domestic simple assault in April. He was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to undergo batterers intervention and have no contact with the victim.