Man Arrested After Alleged Rape in School Parking Lot
An 18-year-old who was a seasonal traffic control officer for the East Hampton Village police is in custody after allegedly raping a woman in a Springs School parking lot on Sunday afternoon. Court records say he lured her there in a text message, pretending to be someone else.
Officials said Bryan Siranaula, a senior at East Hampton High School, had dragged the woman from her car in front of a 7-year-old she had with her.
The Suffolk district attorney's office said on Monday that Mr. Siranaula was aquainted with the woman and planned the attack, posing as a friend and texting her from an unfamiliar number, according to court documents.
In East Hampton Town Justice Court on Monday, Carla Egan, a county prosecutor, said Mr. Siranaula confessed as he was being questioned by detectives on Sunday.
Mr. Siranaula, who lives in Springs, was being held on $205,000 bail after being charged with rape, sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Ms. Egan said Mr. Siranaula "pulled the female victim out of her vehicle, picked her up off the ground, and carried her" to his vehicle, where she was raped. The 7-year-old saw much of the incident, Ms. Egan said, leading to the endangerment charge. "The child was visibly upset and crying," according to Ms. Egan.
According to court records, a member of the woman's family contacted police after the incident. She underwent a physical exam.
Police seized Mr. Siranaula's vehicle and confiscated his clothing to have it tested at the Suffolk County crime lab.
A conviction on a charge of rape in the first degree, which is considered a violent felony, calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in state prison, with a maximum of 25.
Ms. Egan asked that bail be set at $250,000, because of the strength of the case against Mr. Siranaula. Matthew D'Amato, an attorney from Legal Aid who was representing Mr. Siranaula for his arraignment, argued for a much lower amount, pointing out that Mr. Siranaula's father and sister were in the courtroom, that Mr. Siranaula had never been in trouble with the law, and that he has strong ties to the community.
While East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky acknowledged Mr. D'Amato's arguments, he said that given "the serious nature of the allegations and the statement by the defendant," he was setting bail at $100,000 each for the two felony charges and $5,000 for the misdemeanor charge.
Orders of protection were issued by Justice Tekulsky for the woman, the 7-year-old child, and the woman's family.
Ms. Egan told the court that the case against Mr. Siranaula is in the process of being presented to a grand jury. If bail is not posted by Friday, and Mr. Siranaula is not indicted, he would be released under state law covering bail on felony charges.