A Massachusetts police officer was reportedly seen sobbing in court after she and her husband were accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy they had taken into their home years earlier.
Plymouth Police Officer Samantha Pelrine, 31, and her husband, Daniel Forand, 37, were arrested shortly after Pelrine was suspended from her job on March 17.
The couple is accused of abusing the boy after he moved in with them in 2019, when he was just 12 years old. Prosecutors said the abuse allegedly began when the victim was 14 and continued for years.
During her arraignment, Pelrine was hit with several serious charges, including three felony counts of aggravated rape of a child with force and one count of aggravated statutory rape of a child. Forand, meanwhile, was charged with 20 offenses, including rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
In court, prosecutors asked that both defendants be held on $250,000 bail. They argued that the alleged abuse showed a pattern of grooming.
“The name for that is grooming,” a prosecutor reportedly told Judge Kristen A. Stone during the hearing.
Pelrine’s attorney, Joseph Krowski Jr., pushed back, arguing that the couple should be released on their own recognizance with a no-contact order. He reportedly pointed to their lack of prior criminal records and strong community ties.
The judge ultimately set Pelrine’s bail at $10,000 cash, while Forand was ordered held on $25,000 cash bond.
Both Pelrine and Forand have pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
Photos from the hearing reportedly showed Forand standing in Plymouth District Court with a blank expression as the charges were read. Pelrine, meanwhile, was seen crying heavily during the arraignment.
Before the arrests, Pelrine had been placed on leave from the Plymouth Police Department on March 17.
In a statement, the department said it was appalled and deeply disturbed by the allegations.
“We are appalled and deeply disturbed by the allegations. We hold our officers to the highest of standards and expect them to uphold their sworn duty both on duty and off,” the statement said.
The department added that its mission is to safeguard the public’s trust and uphold the law, calling the alleged conduct a violation of its values and of the basic principles of policing.
According to court documents, the victim said he met Pelrine and Forand through his aunt. The couple later took him in and became his legal guardians.
The accuser claimed the abuse began soon after and continued for years. In the restraining order filing, he allegedly stated that Pelrine and Forand “both sexually assaulted me until 2025 and physically assaulted me until 2026.”
He also said he feared for his safety, writing, “they are looking for me, and I am scared for my safety,” the victim added, per the affidavit.
Hope they repent