Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin announced that Richard Gray, DOB: 6/19/49, with a last known address of 34 Spring Street, Burrillville, pleaded nolo contendere yesterday before Superior Court Magistrate William J. McAtee to two counts of second degree child molestation and one count of possession of child pornography.
Gray was sentenced to 20 years, with eight to serve with the remainder suspended with probation, on each count of molestation, sentences to run concurrent. He was sentenced to five years on the child pornography charge, to run concurrent. The defendant has been ordered to surrender to the Adult Correctional Institutions on September 1, 2011. He has been out on bail, set at $35,000 with surety.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the state was prepared to prove that in 2007, Gray was arrested by the Burrillville Police Department for possession of child pornography following an investigation that began when a Burrillville Library employee contacted the police after witnessing Mr. Gray using the public computer system for inappropriate communication with what appeared to be a minor.
Burrillville Police seized Gray’s personal computer from his residence. A subsequent forensic analysis performed by a computer expert from the New England State Police Information Network discovered child pornographic images stored on the computer’s hard drive.
As the investigation unfolded, an adult relative of the defendant informed the Police that Gray had molested him on several occasions when he was a minor child.
Detective Guy Riendeau led the investigation for the Burrillville Police and Assistant Attorney General Ronald Gendron handled the case for the Office of Attorney General.