Springfield man charged with sexually assaulting minor in Somers
Connecticut State Police said that in October 2024, 27-year-old Justin Perez served as an assistant athletic coach at Somers High School, and allegedly engaged in inappropriate contact with a juvenile student.
Driver saved from Turners Falls ravine, taken to hospital
The student disclosed that Perez was allegedly engaging in inappropriate phone and social media contact with her, inappropriate content during practice sessions, and other unwanted sexual advances.
On Tuesday at approximately 12:08 p.m., officers located Perez in Enfield and conducted a traffic stop on his vehicle. He was arrested due to his active arrest warrant and turned over to State Police.
Justin Perez was charged with:
Criminal Attempt – Risk of Injury to a Minor
Risk of Injury to a Minor
Criminal Attempt – Sexual Assault 2nd Degree
Sexual Assault 4th Degree
Enticing a Minor Under 18 by Computer
Perez was released on a $100,000 court-set bond and was scheduled to appear at Rockville Superior Court on Wednesday. 22News will provide more information on the case as more information becomes available.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
CT man charged with home invasion after allegedly breaking into woman's home, assaulting her
A man faces home invasion and other charges for allegedly breaking into a woman's home in Tolland last week and assaulting her in violation of a protective order issued after a previous incident last year. Gelbert Fuentes, 32, of Hamden was taken into custody Wednesday after being located by officers with the Hamden Police Department, according to Connecticut State Police. He was turned over to troopers who had a warrant for his arrest. Fuentes faces charges of home invasion, disorderly conduct, interfering with an emergency call, violation of protective order, third-degree assault and second-degree unlawful restraint. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, a woman called police last Thursday to report a domestic disturbance around 8 p.m. but initially would not give authorities the suspect's name after he had left her home. She claimed that she came home and found that the man had smashed an Xbox, and when she confronted him about it she could allegedly smell that he had been drinking, the warrant affidavit said. The woman alleged that he started smashing the Xbox more and shoved her so she called 911, according to the warrant affidavit. Hours later, the woman called police again around 2 a.m. and claimed that the man had returned to her home where he allegedly broke in and assaulted her, the warrant affidavit said. The woman told troopers she was nearly asleep when Fuentes allegedly entered the home and got on top of her, putting pressure on her neck with his forearm, state police wrote. The woman told police he was allegedly upset about being locked out of the home and demanded money back that he had previously given her, the warrant affidavit said. She claimed that he took her phone and smart watch so she could not call police. After letting her off the bed, the woman claimed that Fuentes refused to let her leave the bedroom, allegedly shoving her toward the bed when she tried, according to the warrant affidavit. At one point, she claimed that she started swinging to create space between them, but he allegedly shoved her so hard that her head ended up under the bed, the warrant affidavit said. She claimed that she lied on the ground and cried because she felt trapped. Fuentes, she said, eventually let her out of the room but allegedly would not let her get away from him, according to the warrant affidavit. She alleged that he refused to leave when told to get out and that he allegedly started shoving her again, state police wrote. She said she also thought he was trying to provoke her into hitting him. The woman claimed that Fuentes gave her cell phone back after she was able to get out of the home, the warrant affidavit said. He left the area when he thought she was calling police, she said. The woman later found that Fuentes had allegedly gotten into her home through a garage window, the warrant affidavit said. After leaving for about 20 minutes, she said, Fuentes allegedly returned to the home and tried to get back inside, the warrant affidavit said. He allegedly tried to force the basement door open and then began knocking on the front door repeatedly, according to the warrant. The woman said she called 911 after Fuentes was allegedly able to get in through the back door and enter her bedroom, the warrant affidavit said. When troopers arrived, they found Fuentes' vehicle parked outside but no sign of him, state police wrote in the warrant. Police also found that he was issued two protective orders in May 2024 following an incident that the woman described as the first time he allegedly 'got physical' with her, the warrant affidavit said. She said he was arrested. The orders that were put in place prohibited Fuentes from assaulting the woman, contacting her or going to her home, the warrant affidavit said. Troopers used a K-9 to search the home, but Fuentes could not be found. They also tried conducting a track outside with no luck. According to the warrant affidavit, the woman declined to go to a hospital. Troopers took multiple photos of injuries seen on her arms. State police made a safety plan with the victim, who told troopers her juvenile daughter was in the home but had slept through everything that had happened. The woman was able to email a video to troopers that allegedly showed a struggle between her and Fuentes, the warrant affidavit said. Fuentes was held on a $150,000 bond and was expected to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Wednesday.
Miami Herald
19-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Key West man jailed on charges of illegal child and animal abuse material
A Key West bartender is behind bars on charges involving child exploitation and animal abuse, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Jorge Tyler Perez, 28, is charged with one count of possession of child sexual abuse material and 14 counts of engaging in sexual activities involving animals — all third-degree felonies. The arrest follows a statewide FDLE initiative targeting individuals who exploit children and share abusive content online. The investigation began in November 2024 after the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children issued a cybertip indicating a Snapchat user had uploaded child sexual abuse material. Agents later identified the user as Perez and discovered he 'also uploaded videos of bestiality.' On Friday, FDLE agents executed a search warrant and seized an electronic device for analysis. Perez was arrested and booked into the Monroe County Jail. The Key West Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations assisted with the case, which is being prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney for Florida's 16th Judicial Circuit. Authorities say the investigation remains active and ongoing. Perez is set to be arraigned on Aug. 1.
Miami Herald
18-07-2025
- Miami Herald
‘Don't Lie for the Other Guy.' ATF targets straw purchases of guns
In the year Ashley Perez has worked as a cashier for an indoor gun range, she has witnessed a grim trend that firearm retailers have seen in recent years. 'I had a homeless lady come in. ... She was trying to purchase a gun, but just with dollar bills. ... [Another time] a mother came in to buy her younger son a gun, saying, 'It's for me,' while the son was saying it's for him,' the 24-year-old described seeing last summer. Perez and her team at Top Gun Indoor Range Florida in Kendall identified the pattern in both cases almost instantly. They were tell-tale attempts at straw purchases — buying firearms for people legally prohibited from owning them. It's a federal crime that could land an a offender a $250,000 fine and a 15-year prison sentence. A 2022 act signed by then-President Joe Biden tacks on 10 more years behind bars if the gun is used to commit a felony, an act of terrorism or a drug-trafficking crime. In a public campaign, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is warning potential straw purchasers about those steep penalties. . 'The message behind the campaign is simple: If you're buying a gun for someone who can't legally own one, you are committing a crime,' said Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent John Vecchio during a Friday press conference at the gun range. 'You're helping potentially arm someone with dangerous intentions.' Vecchio joined the ATF, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and National Shooting Sports Foundation at Top Gun to announce the newest iteration of the 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy' campaign, which aims to curb the crime. Next month, South Floridians can expect to see billboards and posters with messaging that includes 'Buy a gun for someone who can't and buy yourself 15 years in jail.' Listeners of top radio stations and podcasts will hear the same. The 25-year-old, nationwide campaign isn't changing its strategies, but instead focusing on South Florida, which is a magnet for domestic and international gun trafficking. 'The availability of firearms is higher here and the restrictions on sales are a little bit less than they are in some states,' explained Rob Cekada, the ATF's deputy director, on why the crime is prevalent in the area. 'One of the reasons we picked Miami ... there's a lot of firearms trafficking that begins here and ends up in the Caribbean and also ends up in Mexico as well.' But the real danger behind straw-purchasing, Cekada says, is how it arms South Florida felons and encourages violent crimes. The deputy director's latest investigation, he shared, is still turning up illegally traded guns at crime scenes that happened in Miami and Margate and are linked to two Florida straw purchasers who bought more than 48 firearms. A 2024 ATF report confirms the pipeline nationwide, revealing that of the 7,000+ cases between 2017 and 2021 in which firearms were peddled, 60% of the 'end users' had at least one prior felony conviction. 'Rarely do we recover a firearm at a crime scene that was purchased by the perpetrator,' said Hayden O'Byrne, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, at the briefing. He added that retailers such as Top Gun and other federal firearm licensees play a large role in preventing straw purchases, calling them 'the first line of defense.' FFLs are individuals or businesses allowed to manufacture, import and deal firearms and are required to renew the permit with ATF every three years. Because Florida gun laws require only federal firearm licensees — not private sellers — to conduct background checks when transferring firearms, employees such as Perez are crucial to preventing the crime. 'We look out for signs, that's the first thing we do. The second we see a person walk through the door, we see the way they stand, the way they're speaking, if they're grabbing their phone too much,' she said. 'We want our hands [clean], and we want to do it the right way and the legal way.' That's why the 'Don't Lie for the Other Guy' campaign is teaching retailers how to identify straw-purchasers. 'This is a two-prong approach,' said Joseph Bartozzi, president of the NSSF, which launched the campaign with the ATF in 2000. 'Part of it is we help to work with the retailers like this to teach them about how to identify the red flags.' The other half? To warn everyday people unaware of the crime's severity before they make the mistake. Bartozzi cleared up that though money is a key motivator for those initiating straw purchases, it's not the only one. Peer pressure and 'a sense of loyalty' to family or friends explain why some participate in the crime. Others are emotionally manipulated or threatened with physical harm by those barred from owning guns themselves. Some just don't know it's illegal. 'It's not just criminal, but even unwitting, law-abiding people that might be caught up with a boyfriend or girlfriend,' he said. 'We want to make sure everyone understands that it is a crime, even if it's unintentionally related to a crime that's going to be committed later on.'
