BRASHER FALLS, N.Y. — Authorities in New York state have charged a 7-year-old boy with third-degree rape, multiple news outlets are reporting.
According to WWNY-TV and the Watertown Daily Times, New York State Police last week charged the Brasher Falls boy in connection with an incident that occurred in November 2020. The department confirmed the child’s age to the Daily Times.
Police cited the boy before releasing him, WWNY reported.
Attorney Anthony Martone, the director of Queens Defenders’ felony youth defense unit, told WWNY that the charge is “absurd.”
“I don’t think you even could really realize what you’re doing at 7 years old,” he told the news station.
In New York state, a child must be 7 or older to face juvenile charges, though lawmakers are considering legislation that would raise the minimum age, WWNY reported.
Cox Media Group
