Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that yesterday Michael Powell (age 53), of Woonsocket, pleaded nolo contendere to two counts of first degree child molestation before Superior Court Justice Kristin E. Rodgers. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Powell was sentenced to 30 years with 10 years to serve and the remainder suspended with probation. In addition, he was ordered to undergo sex offender counseling and must comply with the State's sex offender registration and community notification statute. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim and no unsupervised contact with children under the age of 14 years old.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove that in 2015, the defendant molested a 10 year old girl known to him. The victim disclosed the abuse to a friend's mother who reported it to the Department of Children, Youth and Families, who in turn contacted the police.
"This young victim knew what the defendant was doing was wrong and showed the courage and strength to report the abuse to an adult she could trust," said Attorney General Kilmartin. "There is a system of reporting child molestation and abuse in place that is designed to get victims out of harm's way and to effectively investigate and prosecute the abusers. Reporting abuse to the appropriate authorities is the crucial first step in that process, and in this case, resulted in the abuser going to jail."
Woonsocket Police Detective Anthony Conetta led the investigation and Special Assistant Attorney General Alison DeCosta prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.