ANAUD, MARY JOY N.

4-ALM September 16, 2013

South Providence man charged in binding, rape of girl, 9 BY AMANDA MILKOVITS Journal Staff Writer (providencejournal.com)

September 12, 2013 01:00 AM

PROVIDENCE A South Providence man is accused of repeatedly molesting a little girl allegedly binding her with duct tape and raping her. Charles E. Pona, 55, was arrested Wednesday morning by the U.S. Marshals Service sex offender task force. He was found in his bug-infested bedroom at 60 Burnside St., across from the Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School. A 9-year-old girl, who is a relative, said Pona had been molesting her since Christmas 2011, according to an investigation by Providence police Detective Christopher Rotella. She said she bit him the first time he attempted to molest her. The next time, she said, he pulled out a roll of duct tape and used it to hold her down, Rotellas report stated. The girl told the police that Pona attacked her several times over a year and a half, telling her she was dirty, ugly and fat, and that hed take her away from her mother or kill her if she didnt comply. She said shed tried to tell other relatives what was going on, but wasnt taken seriously, according to a police report. The police were notified on Aug. 2, when the girls mother brought her to Hasbro Childrens Hospital.

ANAUD, MARY JOY N. 4-ALM September 16, 2013

On Aug. 19, the girl spoke to authorities at the Day One Sexual Assault and Trauma Resource Center, and Rotella later obtained an arrest warrant. After searching several places for Pona for some time, the police were tipped off to his latest whereabouts on Tuesday. Pona muttered that he didnt do nothin as he was led by U.S. marshals from his first -floor apartment Wednesday. Hours later, Pona appeared in District Court on three counts of firstdegree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation. He was ordered held without bail. (providencejournal.com) REACTION: Taking a look at the bigger picture, there seems to be a serious problem in the breakdown of morals and family values in ones culture to check on the people crying out for help. But this is not to absolve those offenders from absurd crimes, It is just that in my opinion, Family members or those people primarily responsible for a minor should live up to the responsibility of looking after these children. While it is true that the system of law needs some fixing in order for justice to prevail among anything else, It is also true that partially the blame shall be taken by those people who in the first place is supposed to protect the kid. I have come to this point of view, since It is said in this article that the suspect was a relative of the kid, and the incident did not happen just once, how did he even have those multiple chances? If only the kid was given enough supervision, the whole thing would have not take place in the very beginning. Regardless of the mismatches on the supervision over the kid, Pona, the offender deserved to be put in jail for his lifetime, he just ruined a young life.

ANAUD, MARY JOY N. 4-ALM September 16, 2013