Former Youth Hockey Coach Charged with Solicitation of a Minor, Child Porn

From his third floor apartment at 19 Church St., Michael Defelice, 50, has had an impressive view of St. Mary’s Church just yards away.

Meanwhile, police said, Defelice was collecting images of child pornography and using the Internet to try and solicit minors for sexual encounters.

Defelice, a former youth hockey coach in Cranston from 1990 to 2003, is now set to be arraigned Friday in Third Division District Court in Warwick on charges of indecent solicitation of a minor and possession of child pornography.

Col. Steven G. O’Donnell, superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, said that Defelice was arrested Friday morning after a raid at his Church Street apartment by members of the Rhode Island Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

Police did not immediately reveal many details about their investigation, saying that ICAC Task Force members “recently initiated an investigation of an individual using the Internet to solicit minors to engage in sexual conduct. Mr. Defelice was identified as the person allegedly engaged in this activity and further investigation developed information that he was also in possession of child pornography.”

Defelice was a youth hockey coach for deck hockey and roller hockey at the Cranston Street Hockey Rink at 625 Dyer Avenue, Cranston, from 1990 to 2003, the state police said. He currently is the manager of the Deck Hockey Rink at the Cranston Street Hockey facility and is currently a referee for adult street hockey at Teamworks located at 170 Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick.

“Contact has been made with supervisors at these locations and it was learned that they are not aware of any inappropriate conduct between Mr. Defelice and any children,” O’Donnell said.