Huntington Station man pleads guilty to sex assault, Suffolk DA says
Daniel Adum, 19, of Huntington Station is expected to get 15 years in prison and 20 years of supervision after he gets out. Credit: James Carbone
A Huntington Station man pleaded guilty Wednesday to sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl last fall in downtown Huntington, a random attack that was caught on government-owned and operated surveillance cameras, authorities said.
Daniel Adum, 19, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree attempted criminal sexual act, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, all felonies, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini’s office said in a news release.
The teenager was walking with a female friend, also 16, at about 1 a.m. on Nov. 11 after being dropped off in the parking lot behind a Panera Bread restaurant, officials said.
The girls saw the suspect exposing himself on Main Street and, concerned for their safety, began to move quickly, turning onto the more secluded Prospect Street, police said.
Adum caught up with them and punched the victim in the face, police said. Once she was knocked to the ground, he held her down and sexually assaulted her, police said.
Police said the friend went to get help.
“This kind of sexual attack on a stranger is extremely rare but even more so disturbing,” Sini said in the release issued Wednesday. “Surveillance video was critically important to solving this case, along with excellent police work.”
Police said the victim provided detectives with a detailed description of the attacker.
The assault was recorded by Huntington village surveillance cameras, which also filmed Adum’s car, a white Honda Civic with a black racing stripe, driving away, authorities said.
Adum is scheduled to appear before State Supreme Court Justice Karen Wilutis in Riverhead on July 2 for sentencing, Sini’s office said. The judge is expected to sentence Adum to 15 years in prison and 20 years of supervision after he is released, according to Sini’s office. The maximum sentence Adum could have faced was 25 years in prison.
Adum’s attorney, Natasja Bellinger of West Islip, could not be reached for comment Thursday.