Child rapist locked up after SHS incident
Published on September 29th, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - A convicted child rapist living in Stoneham, who was first alerted to the public in the Stoneham Independent two years ago, was taken into custody last week after reportedly speaking to a group of unsupervised children at Stoneham High School recently.
Ronald Ostrovsky, age 56, of 300 Park Terrace Drive Unit 354, Stoneham, was placed into the custody of the Middlesex District Attorney during a pre-trial hearing at Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge on Sep. 20. Ostrovsky was placed into custody after reportedly violating a bail stipulation that forbade the convicted pedophile from having any contact with unsupervised children.
“The Stoneham school administration was very helpful and Ostrovsky was positively identified by several witnesses at the scene,” said Stoneham Police Lt. Rick McCarthy, of the suspect who has repeatedly failed to register as a sex offender during numerous stints as a car salesmen in showrooms across the Commonwealth. “That was the first incident we’ve had dealing with him since the arrest for not registering as a Level Three Sex Offender at his place of work in Burlington (in June).”
According to Stoneham Police sources, Ostrovsky was spotted on the Stoneham High School grounds over the last three weeks speaking to a group of children returning to the school from gym class. Ostrovsky pulled up to the cluster of youths while in his vehicle and reportedly asked the children if they would “help him find his lost dog.”
The alert gym teacher brought the kids inside, and within a week the Stoneham Police were notified and the suspicious man was ID’d as Ostrovsky, who is awaiting trial of five counts of raping a child after a Grand Jury Indictment last July.
According to Stoneham Police, Ostrovsky will now most likely be incarcerated pending his trial at Middlesex Superior Court. Stoneham Police also received unconfirmed reports from the city of Melrose that someone similar to Ostrovsky was looking for a “lost dog” near Melrose High School. Ostrovsky’s residence is placed squarely on the Melrose/Stoneham line.
The 56-year-old Stoneham man pleaded guilty in June on charges that he failed to register as a sex offender in Burlington.
Massachusetts State Police arrested Ronald F. Ostrovsky of 300 Park Terrace Drive, Unit 354, Stoneham, on the morning of May 28 at his Burlington workplace.
Arraigned in Woburn District Court later that day, the level three sex offender pled guilty to the charges and no bail was set for Ostrovsky as he was released under personal recognizance.
“He was in violation of sexual offender registry guidelines that require him to notify them of a change in his working address,” said Stoneham Police Lt. Rick McCarthy, who explained that a special State Police task force dedicated to enforcing the Sex Offender Registry Bureau’s regulations executed the arrest.
According to Woburn District Court First Assistant Clerk Magistrate John Teevan, the charges can carry a maximum sentence of up to five years in state prison. However, the case would need to be transferred to Cambridge Superior Court if the maximum sentence was to be pursued.
“There’s a whole list of possibilities from here. It’s possible that he could go to state prison for five years or be fined up to $1000. It would have to go to Superior Court for the maximum sentence. Here, he can only go to the house of corrections for not more than six months,” said Teevan.
The convicted rapist, who spent at least four years in state prison during the 1990’s for rape and indecent assault and battery of a child under 14, was also indicted by a grand jury last July in Middlesex Superior Court on multiple charges including: five counts of rape of a child, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under the age of 14, dissemination of child pornography, and illegal possession of a class D substance.
According to Stoneham Police officials, they began first receiving information about the alleged child rapes last January. After executing a Woburn District Court search warrant on April 14 at the 56-year-old’s Park Terrace Drive address, Stoneham Police reportedly found evidence corroborating the victim’s allegations.
“The victim described several pornographic items in pretty clear detail that we later found in the apartment,” said Police Lt. Rick McCarthy.
At a subsequent arraignment on those charges last August in Middlesex Superior Court, a bench warrant for Ostrovsky’s arrest was issued after he failed to appear in court. However, according to statements later made by Middlesex District Attorney spokesman Seth Horwitz, that warrant was later rescinded due to a miscommunication between Ostrovsky’s lawyer and court officials.
According to Middlesex District Attorney spokeswoman Emily LaGrassa, she’s unsure of the specific cause of the miscommunication and speculated that Ostrovsky’s summons to court was mailed to the wrong address.
Asked why Ostrovsky wasn’t detained until his trial for the charges given his former convictions, Middlesex District Attorney spokeswoman Emily LaGrassa commented that Ostrovsky, “is presumed innocent until proven guilty” and wasn’t determined to be a flight risk. While a judge can deny bail to an individual determined to pose a public danger, LaGrassa said the option wasn’t pursued.
“All I can tell you is based on the circumstances of this case, the Commonwealth decided not to pursue that,” said LaGrassa.
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