Man had sex with boy for a year, police say

Eagle Tribune

Man had sex with boy for a year, police sayAccused 'predator' ordered held without bail

By Mike LaBella
mlabella@eagletribune.com

HAVERHILL — A man who shared a bed with a 12-year-old boy had sex with him repeatedly for nearly a year, according to a police report on the case.

Police said Jeffrey Perry, 39, told them the sexual activity began in September 2008 when Perry was living in Lawrence, and that it continued when he moved to Haverhill this year and up until his arrest two weeks ago.

Perry had sex with the boy as many as five times a weeks, according to the police report on file at Haverhill District Court. Perry was in that court yesterday for a hearing to determine whether he is a danger to society. He was ordered to remain behind bars without bail.

Two weeks ago, police arrested Perry of 99 Emerson St. and charged him with four counts of rape of a child under 14, 10 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and disseminating pornographic material to a minor. Perry is a convicted Level 1 sex offender, police said.

Police said Perry told them that he and the boy would often view pornography online, with the boy sometimes choosing what adult Web site to view. Police have confiscated Perry's computer. The Eagle-Tribune is withholding the boy's name.

Police said they stumbled upon the relationship between Perry and the boy while looking for clues in a fire investigation. They were living in the apartment of a suspected arsonist who knows the boy well, police said. They described Perry as a sexual predator who bought the boy gifts to gain his trust before convincing him to engage in sex.

At Perry's arraignment in Haverhill District Court on Aug. 11, he was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing. That hearing took place yesterday. Judge Stephen Abany ordered Perry held without bail and to appear for a probable cause hearing Sept. 16.

On Monday Aug. 10, Detective Carl Rogers and state police Sgt. Paul Zipper went to the 99 Emerson St. apartment of suspected arsonist Patricia Mandigo, 55, also known as Patricia Rogers, to investigate her role in three fires set in her apartment building the day before, and at an apartment building at 94 Emerson St., where she was living when it was destroyed by fire in December.

Mandigo was charged with eight counts of arson of a dwelling and is being held without bail at MCI-Framingham until her probable cause hearing Sept. 4. She also may face additional charges in connection with the sexual misconduct case against Perry.

While speaking with Perry and the boy, the officers got inconsistent stories about where they were and what they saw that Sunday morning when Mandigo allegedly set three small fires in and around her building.

"During the course of the interview we realized these two, Perry and the victim, are sharing a bed," Zipper had said. "It seemed clearly odd."

He said the inconsistencies in the stories were so stark that they brought Perry to the police station, where, during an interview, he admitted to having sex with the boy several times. The boy later confirmed Perry had been sexually abusing him, police said.

Zipper said Perry and his elderly mother had been staying in Mandigo's apartment with Mandigo and her husband for several months. Mandigo and the boy know each other well, police said.

Investigators said Mandigo has admitted setting eight fires, including a three-alarm blaze that destroyed an apartment building at 94 Emerson St. on Dec. 6, 2007, leaving 23 people homeless. Three tenants were injured, as were three Haverhill firefighters. She was living in that building at the time of the fire.

In each instance, according to police, Mandigo said she set the fires due to having "a bad night" or being angry at someone.