A Haitian migrant who is accused of raping a teen girl at a Rockland hotel housing migrants was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday, moving his case to superior court, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz announced.
Cory B. Alvarez, 26, was indicted on charges of aggravated rape of a child with 10-year age difference and rape of a child by force, according to Cruz’s office. A Hingham District Court judge deemed Alvarez a danger to the community at a hearing in March, and he has remained in custody ever since.
Police went to the Comfort Inn in Rockland at 850 Hingham St. around 7 p.m. the night of March 13 after hotel staff reported a girl said she had been raped, Det. Sgt. Greg Pigeon testified in court during Alvarez’s dangerousness hearing. The hotel has contracted with the state to provide lodging to migrants. Rockland police took the girl to South Shore Hospital for treatment after arriving at the hotel.
Alvarez entered the country legally and had undergone two background checks, his attorney, Brian Kelley, said in court, citing Gov. Maura Healey’s office. It was not clear how long Alvarez had been living at the hotel and Kelley said he spent time in New York City before arriving in Massachusetts.
The girl and Alvarez had no pre-existing relationship prior to the assault allegation, both prosecutors and Kelley confirmed.
While the girl was in an examination room with a nurse and a victim advocate, she told police she told Alvarez to leave her alone but he “didn’t stop,” according to the report. Police then asked the girl to identify the man who assaulted her in a photo array, and as officers went through each photo one by one, the girl stopped them when they reached the sixth of eight photos.
Alvarez’s status as a migrant has had no bearing on how prosecutors have approached his case, according to Cruz.
Alvarez will appear in superior court at a “later date,” according to Cruz’s office.
