On Friday, October 17th Aaron Shepperd (North Adams: 37 years old) pleaded guilty to the following charges:
• 3 counts of Rape of a Child with Force
• 1 count of Indecent Assault and Battery of a Child Under 14
• 1 Count of Indecent Assault and Battery of a Child Over 14
He was sentenced to 8 to 10 years in State Prison. District Attorney Shugrue stated, “My thoughts today are with the young survivor. I commend them [singular] for the tremendous courage displayed throughout the entirety of the investigation. While no prison sentence will ever undo the harm that was done, I do hope that today’s conclusion provides an opportunity to move forward.”
The District Attorney added, “I was pleased that this case was quickly resolved thus allowing the survivor of the assault to avoid having to testify in court about the abuse they [singular] endured by the Defendant.”
The Defendant raped and assaulted a child over a period of approximately three years.
Chief of the Child Abuse Unit Andrew Giarolo represented the Commonwealth. Ian Benoit served as the Victim Witness Advocate on behalf of the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office. The North Adams Police Department served as the lead law enforcement agency investigating the case.