Counselor at Brentwood Residential Center for Girls accused of rape
A counselor at a Brentwood girl’s youth detention center was indicted Monday on charges that he raped a 15-year-old girl, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said.
Prosecutors said Ovzie Cannon, 40, of Queens, was working as a youth support specialist at the Brentwood Residential Center for Girls when prosecutors said he gave the girl cannabis edibles and then had sex with her multiple times between January and February of this year.
“This defendant miserably violated his duty of care to the victim by allegedly taking advantage of his position of trust and authority in order to satisfy his sexual desires,” Tierney said in a statement. “No child should ever have to endure sexual abuse, let alone at a facility in which they should feel safe. My office will always seek justice for victims of sexual abuse by aggressively prosecuting sexual predators such as this defendant.”
Authorities said Cannon was in charge of monitoring the girl’s room at the facility, which houses juvenile delinquents between the ages of 12 and 18 after they are assigned by New York State family courts. The facility is operated by the state Office of Children and Family Services and accredited by the American Correctional Association.
Cannon was arraigned Monday in First District Court in Central Islip on two counts of felony rape, two counts of criminal sexual act, and misdemeanor endangering the welfare of a child.
He was ordered held on $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond and ordered to return to court May 2.
His attorney, Pierre Bazile, of Huntington, said, "Mr. Cannon denies the allegations against him and maintains his innocence. We intend to hold the prosecutor to their burden of proof, which at the present time we do not believe they can sustain."
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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