J.C Penney employee charged with raping boy in store dressing room

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On Tuesday, police in Sturbridge, MA arrested Francisco Wellington Barros-Gomes, 26 at the J.C Penney’s department store on Route 131. He has been charged with the forcible rape of a child, after allegedly attacking him in one of the store’s dressing rooms.

According to prosecutors, the alleged rape took place around 5:00 p.m., while the boy’s mother was making a phone call. Apparently, Barros-Gomes began a conversation with the boy, offering to bring him more clothes. At some point, the clerk entered the dressing room.

Upon her return, the boy quickly reported the attack to his mother.

During his arraignment on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Shayne Picard told Dudley District Court Judge Neil G. Snider: “At some point in time his mother needed to step away for a brief period of time to make a phone call while the young man was trying on clothing in a dressing room.”

Picard continued: “At some point in time he began to touch the young man. There was some fondling, your honor, touching private parts. The young man indicated he believed at some point in time the defendant did penetrate him … as well as touching his private areas and having the young man touch his private areas.”

Picard said that Barros-Gomes has admitted to touching the boy but that the defendant would not answer “when asked specifically if he penetrated the young man.”

Due to the serious nature of the crime and the fact that Barros-Gomes is not a U.S. citizen, but a Brazilian national, the district attorney asked that bail be set at $100,000. However, despite the obvious risk of flight, Judge Snider instead set bail substantially lower at $25,000.

Barros-Gomes has been in the country for 10 months, and was working in the children’s department of J.C. Penney’s at the time of the reported attack.

 

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